Letter: Chocolate Tour raised $16K | Local News | newburyportnews … – The Daily News of Newburyport
To the editor:
We of the 20th Newburyport Chocolate Tour Committee wish to warmly thank the many participants of this year’s tour held Oct. 7.
Although the skies threaten rain, it held off and umbrellas were put away in favor of little yellow bags filled with chocolates. We sold out of 400 tickets and participants, following their maps, toured local Newburyport stores sampling a huge array of chocolates and chocolate themed treats like the chocolate hand scrubs at B. C. Essentials, Candy Man’s special turtles and Starbuck’s extra fancy hot chocolates.
We cleared $16,000 which far exceeded any other year. Since taking over the tour from the Red Cross 11 years ago, over $100,000 has been given to 28 local community groups.
This year’s proceeds will be distributed to our 2023 beneficiaries: Community Services of Newburyport Arts, NEER New England Equine Rescue, the Guinea Pig Sanctuary of Salisbury and prescription refill program at the Newbury, Newburyport, Salisbury, West Newbury and Amesbury Councils on Aging.
Making this unfold so smoothly entailed the coordination and support of the City of Newburyport, the First Religious Society, 33 local stores who supplied the delicious chocolate treats, 148 volunteers who staffed the stores handing out chocolates, 30-plus sponsors of ads, and a huge table of donated raffle baskets and of course, a perfect setting in picturesque Newburyport.
Business and individual sponsors included: Amesbury Industrial Supply, Institution for Savings, Benson Gallery, Haverhill Bank, Central Congregational Church, Newburyport Counseling Group, SPS New England, the Tannery Marketplace, Essex St. Inn, Lombardi Oil, Dingo Creative, North Star Contracting Group, Newburyport Art Collective, Turning Point, Collins Reverse Mortgage, Newburyport Bank, Inn Street Barber Shop and many friends of Central Congregational Church.
Participating stores included: Garrison Inn, A Pleasant Street Shoppe, Pretty Poppy, BC Essentials, Design of Mine, Harbor Creamery, Sustain Boutique, Coastal Chic, Richdale’s, The Candy Man, Life is Good, Charleston and Coco, Castaways Vintage, Soak and Shoreline, Starbucks, Wishbasket, Chococoa Baking Co., Affamata, Vaalbara, Quinn’s Canine Café, Black Duck Café, Beach Plum Flowers, Greetings by Design, Brass Lyon, Paper Moon, Lively Kids, Leallo Book Store, A Little Bit of Naples, New England Sketch Book, Illume, Green Plum, Face Food Natural and the Firehouse theater/Newburyport Art Collective.
And finally, many thanks to the Rev. Chris Ney, pastor of Central Congregational Church, and his congregation who once again supported and organized this annual event to benefit so many in our local communities. Please feel free to join us on Nov. 19, at 10:30 a.m. at Central Congregational Church (14 Titcomb St.) as we distribute the checks to these very worthy groups.
Thank you all and stay turned for our 21st annual Newburyport Chocolate Tour in 2024. In the meantime, our motto: Eat Chocolate. Be Happy. Do Good.
DIANE HAWKINS-CLARK
Chair
Chocolate Tour
Newburyport
