The Lincoln County Ecumenical Committee for Haiti is pleased to announce that the Damariscotta River Grill will be preparing the annual Haiti benefit dinner. The dinner will take place March 1 at St ,Patrick’s Church in Damariscotta Mills beginning at 6 p.m. This will be the third time Rick Hirsch and Jean Kerrigan, Damariscotta River Grill chefs/owners, will contribute to this growing annual fundraising event to help the people of the northern Haitian town of Gros Morne.

“We enjoy contributing to this fun evening with a noble purpose: its our local community reaching out to a needy community in Haiti. It’s great,” said Kerrigan. Jean and Rick will be supervising the preparation of a Haitian inspired dinner consisting of Chicken creole, traditional Haitian beans and rice, plantains, tropical salad and Franco/Caribbean desserts. Haitian fair trade coffee and rum punch will also be featured.

Tickets are $30 adult ($35 at the door) and $15 children. Tickets will be available shortly at Sherman’s Book Shops in Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor, Treat’s in Wiscasset and Skidompha Library, and from Ecumenical Committee members at the following churches: St. Patrick, St. Andrew, Second Congregational, St. Giles, St. Denis and Wiscasset Congregational. All proceeds from the dinner, themed Hearts and Hands for Haiti, go directly to needy families of Gros Morne.

The Friends of Gros Morne, an ecumenical committee set up in that town after the devastating 2010 earthquake to address the needs of a large influx of refugees from Port au Prince and other cities in southern Haiti, will establish the priorities for the use of the money and ensure it gets to the proper end users. Because a more modest earthquake struck to the north of Gros Morne in early October this year and caused more damage and loss of life in Gros Morne itself than the 2010 earthquake, the Friends of Gros Morne are asking, in part, for assistance in reconstructing and repairing earthquake damaged school classrooms.

John Bottero of Thomaston Place Galleries has graciously agreed to join us again this year to help with a pledging session for school repairs, lunches, books and uniforms and to launch a new project of chicken rearing for poor families. A host committee at $120 per person/couple is in formation. Hosts receive two dinner tickets and an invitation to a private Haitian Rum cocktail reception prior to the dinner. To join the host committee, please call Dean Curran, 380-5103.

For more information on the dinner, to make a donation, or to volunteer to help, please call dinner co-chair Sharon Marchi at 529-5239.