Rickman Concert for Arnold Residents to Help Each Other

Arnold Food Pantry Director Kathy Flanigan and Arnold Ward 3 Councilman Phil Amato seem to share the same vision for the City of Arnold: Make sure residents have the resources to help each other.

Eventually, Amato wants Arnold to have a cluster of nonprofit organizations that provide the short-term and long-term solutions to help residents improve their lives.

The Arnold Food Pantry provides weekly solutions to help hungry Arnold families.

A nearby computer lab offering résumé or computer-skills workshops could help people develop needed work skills in the digital economy, Amato said.

“Adding Habitat for Humanity, for example, could provide work activity that allows people to feel good about themselves,” Amato said.

The food pantry and thrift store need a new building to lay the foundation for Amato and Flanigan’s vision.

Amato said Flanigan feeds about 150 Arnold residents weekly without receiving money from the city, state or other government organizations.

The nonprofit currently uses 6,800 square feet in the lower level of Village Plaza Mall, at 20 Village Plaza, which is along Jeffco Boulevard, Flanigan said.

“Rent is about $4,400 a month. That’s a building payment,” Flanigan said.

She said the nonprofit needs about 10,000 square feet and 50 parking spaces to satisfy its current volume of hungry families.

“Right now, we’re on a highly traveled Arnold street but some people don’t know we’re here,” Flanigan said.

She expects greater food demand when the nonprofit moves to Jeffco Boulevard location. Hopefully, an increase in food donations and volunteers will arrive, too.

The nonprofit uses every cubic foot—from wall to wall and from floor to ceiling—for temporary food storage, filling grocery bags or selling donated household items.

“The thrift shop pays the rent for the entire space,” Flanigan said.

Area groceries and bakeries donate much of the food to Flanigan. “But we can always use canned goods.”

Amato thinks the Arnold Food Pantry will need a building with room to expand.

One family man swallowed his pride, came to the pantry and asked for charity, Amato said. “Kathy knew he was a skilled refrigeration worker and asked to exchange food for his repair help at the pantry.”

Amato begun fundraising for Arnold Food Panty with the Rockin’ the Rickman Concert scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday.

He hopes to raise a total of $10,000—$5,000 for the pantry, $5,000 for the Multiple Sclerosis Society—by having groups perform music from different eras. Rock 'n' roll music from the 1950s and ‘60s played by the Butch Wax & The Hollywoods. Blues music performed by the nationally acclaimed Michael Terry Group.

Amato said both groups are St. Louis-based performers giving hometown discounts to help worthy causes.

“We’re using our talents to make the better world a better place than when we entered it,” Amato said in an interview with Patch.

Amato said he is not a singer but he is able to organize events to help Arnold.

Making an idea into a reality starts small.

“I just hope that we can fill the Rickman,” Amato said.

Amato hopes people will realize Saturday’s event is an opportunity to relax with the family—two-for-one ticket specials are available—and enjoy some great music.

Concert tickets are available at the , 1695 Missouri State Rd., or by calling 636-282-2380. Tickets are also available at www.ticketmaster.com/Rickman-Auditorium, enter the code "Rickman".