Everyone attending Celebration 2014 at Martinsville Speedway on July 3 will have the opportunity to help restock food banks in the area through the Fuel For Families Food Drive.
Those attending the event are urged to bring non-perishable food and personal care items and drop them off at one of several collection areas at entrance gates and in the carnival ride area at Celebration 2014.
Celebration 2014 will mark the sixth consecutive year that the United Way of Henry County and Martinsville has partnered with Celebration to help the less fortunate in the area.
“This is a great way to help celebrate Independence Day by helping out our friends and neighbors who may be in need,” said Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell. “Normally we don’t think of the need being great in the summer, but it is a year-round problem.”
Martinsville posts the highest rate of food insecurity in Feeding America Southwest Virginia’s area with a rate of 24.3 percent. Food insecure is defined as a lack of access, at times, to enough food for a healthy, active life for all household members. According to Kids Count, 39.2% of children (ages 0-17) in Martinsville are living in poverty.
“With statistics like these, we know there are a number of people in our community who are struggling. If we all work together by bringing just a few canned food items, we can help those who are struggling the most,” said Tiffani Underwood, executive director of the United Way of Henry County and Martinsville. “Although food is one of our most basic needs, there are still people right here in Martinsville and Henry County who struggle to find enough of it to feed themselves and their families.”
Celebration 2014, a free-to-the-public family event, will begin at 3 p.m. when the carnival rides open. There will be 14 rides this year, the most ever, with three major rides added.
The entertainment portion of Celebration will also begin earlier in the day this year, starting at 4 p.m. The free-to-the public event will also include the area’s largest fireworks display which will begin around 10 p.m.
The Cadillac Three, a rising country-rock band, will headline Celebration 2014 at 8 p.m. Superhold, a 1980s cover band, will open the show at 4 p.m. with Domino, a horn band from Roanoke, taking the stage at 6 p.m.
Sponsors for Celebration 2014 include: American Global Logistics, Ameristaff, Applied Felts, Bassett Furniture, Bassett Office Supply, BB&T, Blue Ridge Aquaculture, Brad Parker Insurance Agency – Nationwide Insurance, Carter Bank & Trust, Carter Machinery, Chamber’s Partnership for Economic Growth, City of Martinsville, Collinsville Printing, Commonwealth Laminating, Cool Knobs and Pulls, Dillon Insurance, Eastman, First Piedmont, Frith Construction, Henry County, Henry County Baptist Association, Henry County Sheriff’s Department, Hooker Furniture, Martinsville DuPont Credit Union, Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville Speedway Children’s Foundation, Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County, Nelson Automotive, RTI Martinsville, River Community Bank, Shenandoah Furniture, Southwestern Virginia Gas, Stanley Furniture, Steve Martin Trenching, TR Properties, Taco Bell, Tarheel Paper and Supply Company, The Lester Group, Virginia Mirror, West Window and Zenith Logistics.
Martinsville Speedway PR
- Regional Businesses Provide Strong Support During NASCAR All-Star Race Week - April 30, 2024
- Goodyear Fast Facts — Kansas - April 30, 2024
- Ty Gibbs / No. 54 SiriusXM Toyota Camry XSE Preview — AdventHealth 400 - April 30, 2024