This year’s annual Haiti Benefit dinner to be held on Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Church in Damariscotta Mills is a truly broad based community effort. Dinner committee members Barbara Williams and Dean Curran, co-chairs, both from Damariscotta, and members Joanita Norman and Vera Havens of Bristol, Frazier and Susan Meade and Stephen Dixon of Newcastle, Sally Johns of Damariscotta and Sue Lewis of Nobleboro have been joined by two new committee members, Donna Flynn of Alna, and Sharon Marchi of Bremen.

Donna recently moved to Alna from Montreal but spent many years in the southern Haitian town of Jacmel. Donna is currently in Jacmel procuring locally produced handicrafts for sale at the dinner.

Sharon Marchi, a member of St Denis Church in Whitefield has also become an active member of the committee this year working on publicity, ticket sales and making deserts. Speaking of the committee, Susan observed “I appreciate the melding of fund raising for the critical needs of the poor in Haiti and the community gathering to enjoy the food and culture of a country so different from our own. Collaboration and an open heart to serve are evident in all the members of the committee ... I am in awe of the work that has been accomplished in the past few years.”

This year the dinner will be prepared by Damariscotta River Grill chef/owners Jean Kerrigan and Rick Hirsch who are making a special effort to provide as authentic Haitian food as is possible in Mid Coast Maine. They are aided in this by a new volunteer, Haitian American Marie Ivry Lindsey, a longtime summer visitor to Boothbay Harbor who purchased a home in Jefferson three years ago with her husband. Not only has Marie provided advice on the menu, she will be doing some of the cooking alongside Rick and Jean.

Marie, who has a Boston based event-planning business, is also an author and will be reading a short excerpt from her recently published book “Marsha Goes to Haiti.”

Another new volunteer this year is Paula Campbell. Paula and her husband recently moved to Damariscotta Mills and Paula has joined the 2^nd Congregational Church of Newcastle. In addition to working on publicity and ticket sales, Paula is also making desserts.

Young people are also making their contribution to the dinner. Brothers of the Alpha Sigma Gamma fraternity and sisters of Sigma Sigma Chi sorority of Lincoln Academy will be helping to serve the dinner. Music students from Lincoln Academy, Erskine Academy and Medomak Valley High School who will be traveling to Haiti as part of the 2015 Maine Music Outreach program will play at the dinner, and teens from the St Andrew’s Church youth group will help run the raffle.

Tickets for the dinner are $25 for adults and $15 for children and are available at the Maine Coast Bookshop, Skidompha Library, Treats and the Damariscotta River Grille. Tickets are also available from committee members or volunteers at St. Patrick’s, St. Andrew’s, St. Denis, St. Philip’s, St. Giles, First Congregational of Wiscasset, Second Congregational of Newcastle and Bristol Congregational Churches. Advance purchase of tickets is advisable.

To volunteer to help, join the Host Committee or for more information, please call 207-563-1931.