Some of the proceeds from all-day music festival The Little Big Day Out at Alexandra's Centennial Park on Saturday will be given to charity Food for Thought, a programme which provides support for disadvantaged children in Monte Chingolo, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Former Alexandra man Ben Whitaker (36) is the founder of the Social Opportunity Group, which runs the charity.
Food for Thought provides nutritious food and creative activities for a group of children aged from 5-12, growing produce and preparing healthy meals for the group.
Saturday's music festival was organised by Dunstan High School pupils and Mr Whitaker, who is back in Alexandra on holiday, was ‘‘blown away'' by the young musicians, singers and dancers who featured.
‘‘There's some amazing talent here and we've had great support from the school as well as the local community. I reckon this year's event is just a taste of what will come in the future - we're hoping this will become an annual event.''
There was a steady stream of visitors to the festival all day, coming and going, but it was difficult to say how many people attended in total, Mr Whitaker said. The amount raised had yet to be finalised. It would be split between the Argentinian-based charity and a Central Otago arts project, to recognise the performers' efforts.
‘‘The weather's been perfect with a bit of cloud cover so it wasn't too hot, the picnic-type atmosphere is great, the venue's ideal and the singers and musicians have been just amazing,'' he said.
‘‘This hasn't been just about raising money - it's been about showcasing the talent in this community.''
The charity was delighted to gain a grant from the Australian embassy in Argentina recently, enough to construct a kitchen.
‘‘We operate at present out of a room with an oven, a fridge and a sink, but now we'll be able to build an entire kitchen and run classes there for the children,'' Mr Whitaker said.
The value of the grant changed daily, as the peso value fluctuated widely, but it was enough to build and fit out the kitchen.‘‘That's a real game-changer for us and what we do.''
