The Lincoln County Ecumenical Committee for Haiti has announced plans for its sixth annual Haiti Benefit Dinner, “Hearts and Hands for Haiti.”

The dinner will be held, as it is every year, at St Patrick’s Church in Damariscotta Mills. It will take place on Friday, Feb. 13, beginning at 6 p.m.

The committee was established in 2010 in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, which devastated much of Haiti and since then has raised money each year to help refugees from the earthquake and the very poor in the northwest Haitian town of Gros Morne (about the size of Portland).

Dinner proceeds have been used to fund scholarships for refugee children, school improvements, the functioning of the old folks home and more recently literacy and small loan programs for poor women.

Funds have been provided to an Emergency Committee which was founded in Gros Morne after the earthquake by Catholic and Protestant church representatives and municipal officials to provide assistance to refugees.

That committee has now evolved into a Friends of Gros Morne committee which continues to manage the funds raised at the dinner.

Lincoln County Committee members Frazier and Susan Meade and Dean Curran traveled to Gros Morne earlier this year to meet with the Friends of Gros Morne Committee and to monitor progress on the projects.

According to Lincoln County Committee co-chairman Barbara Williams of St Patrick’s church, this year’s dinner will be a combination of the traditional Haitian food, drink, music and art with new elements which will “certainly add to the meaningfulness and fun of the evening.”

Traditional Haitian food will be prepared by the Damariscotta River Grille, Maine Music Outreach students will provide music, bowls by Alan Baldwin will be available for sale, and a broad selection of Haitian art and handicrafts will also be available for purchase.

Another challenging Haiti trivia quiz will be organized and there will be a raffle for a stunning work of Haitian art highlighting traditional Christian and vodou themes.

Tickets for the dinner are $25 for adults and $15 for children and will be available beginning in January at Maine Coast Bookshop and at St Patrick’s, St Andrew’s, Bristol Congregational and First Congregational of Wiscasset Churches.

The dinner is usually a sell-out so it is advisable to procure tickets in advance, but, space permitting, tickets may also be available at the door.

Tickets make a great gift, offering a fun night out for recipients and providing help to the very needy in Haiti. For those who wish to offer tickets as Holiday presents, advance tickets will be available at the annual Haitian art sale at St. Andrew’s Church this Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5, 5-7 p.m. and Dec. 6, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

To volunteer to help or for more information, please contact one of the committee members pictured or call 207-380-5103.