A downtown Mobile merchant turned a lunch break into a fundraiser Tuesday, pairing an intimate acoustic performance by touring band The Lone Bellow with a drive to support local foster families.
Do Goods Mercantile Company hosted the midday set at 12:30 p.m., giving shoppers a chance to catch the three-piece band up close ahead of its evening show at the Saenger Theatre on the group’s new album tour.
Raising Money for Fostering Together Gulf Coast
Proceeds from the event go to Fostering Together Gulf Coast, a local charity that supports foster families across the region — providing essentials like clothing in the right sizes, diapers and formula at a moment’s notice, and walking alongside families after a placement.
Annie Persinger, who owns Do Goods Mercantile, said the charity fills an urgent gap for children entering foster care, often with nothing of their own.
“We stand in the gap for children who have entered into foster care because that’s such a scary time for them,” Persinger said. “They’ve been taken away from what they know and they really don’t know what’s ahead. And so to have families that are available to bring them into their home and provide a safe place for them, I think that’s tremendously important.”
Funds Head to Music and Art Lessons
Beyond emergency supplies, money raised through the event will pay for music lessons through Mob Town Music and art lessons through Coastal Makers Art Studio, offered to interested foster families through Fostering Together.
The lunchtime show doubled as a chance to shine a light on the needs of foster families around the Gulf Coast while bringing live music to downtown Mobile.