By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
WHEAT Executive Director Rose Majestic received an oversize check for $2,000 from Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and members of the University of New Haven Mayor’s Advisory Commission at the West Haven Emergency Assistance Task Force on Dec. 2.
The money was raised by the commission and Westies Care at UNH’s sixth WestFest celebration Sept. 18 on the Green and will benefit WHEAT’s food pantry at 674 Washington Ave. The pantry provides food for residents in need.
Westies Care was aided by the First Congregational Church of West Haven, said Phil Liscio, the president of the not-for-profit charity.
Also joining the late-afternoon presentation were MAC adviser Chris Haynes, 2020-21 MAC Chair Killian M. Gruber, Juan Dominguez, the general manager for Sodexo at UNH, and the Rev. E. Carl Howard, the church’s senior minister.
Sodexo, a food service company that manages UNH’s dining services, was one of WestFest’s title sponsors this year.
Majestic said the donation will help WHEAT at a time when it is most needed by providing 100 food items per week for a year.
The festival proceeds were generated from the sale of wristbands for inflatables, a 50-50 raffle and food, as well as from a dunk tank, Gruber said.
WestFest is organized annually by the MAC, a collaborative, student-driven task force formed in March 2015 to strengthen town-gown relations. Last year’s event was postponed because of the coronavirus.
The UNH commission is now led by 2021-22 Chair Christyllis A. Douglas, a sophomore studying psychology, and Haynes, an associate professor of political science and national security.
Westies Care Inc. was founded by Liscio in 2009 in memory of his son, Daniel L. Liscio. To honor his undying spirit, the Liscio family established a scholarship program and organized community outreach projects in Daniel Liscio’s name.