Hamptons “Taste & Paint Night For A Cause” To Support Vieques Love GoFundMe Campaign

This holiday weekend, allow your creative juices to flow freely during Taste & Paint Night for a Cause, a benefit that will raise vital funds to help Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Irma.

Taking place at Windswept By The Sea Salon in Sag Harbor, all proceeds will go directly to Vieques Love, a fundraiser initiated by Kelly Thompson, editor and publisher of Vieques Insider Magazine, operating under the COREFI umbrella, a 501c3 organization based out of Puerto Rico, on www.gofundme.com.

“We are pleased to offer our first Taste & Create Paint for a Cause program to benefit Vieques residents and Vieques non-profits in need,” shared Elizabeth Cassone, Founder and Master Colorist at Windswept by the Sea Salon. “Supporting people in crisis is important to our commitment to serve our community through outreach and service.”

Vieques Love’s goal is to raise $1 million and in just two weeks the crowdsourcing campaign has raised $713,288.

“Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 Hurricane, tore across the US territory of Vieques at speeds of 160 mph leaving our beautiful little island with catastrophic damage. Our beautiful, picturesque Malecón has been destroyed. Homes and livelihoods have been lost. Reports are slowly coming in but it is too soon to know the extent of the damage. It is devastating and our hearts are breaking,” the GoFundMe page notes. “This group was originally formed in order to provide long-term recovery funding for the Island, but because there has been an extremely limited government response in Vieques, ViequesLove has stepped in to fill the relief void. We are now servicing the full-scope of relief needs for Vieques until full-scale government aid can arrive.”

The GoFundMe page further explains, “To date, there is limited governmental support because of all of the other disasters that have happened recently, as well as damaged ports and runways hampering the ability to bring boats and planes in. We recognize that and the community is rallying together to bring the support that the island needs. Humanitarian organizations, people and non-profits on Vieques were struggling to survive even before the storm hit. This is a critical time of life and death. Vieques needs you. The struggle will continue long after the world forgets.”

During the benefit, a local artist will walk participants step-by-step through the featured piece of artwork and all artistic levels are welcome.

Taste & Paint Night for a Cause will take place on Sunday, October 8 at 4 p.m. Admission is $45 per person in advance or $50 on the day of the event, and the entry fee includes all art supplies, canvas and light hors d’oeuvres and wine.

“We invite our friends to join us to raise funds for this very timely cause,” Cassone added.

Windswept By The Sea Salon is located at 51 Division Street (above the UPS Store) in Sag Harbor. For more information, call 631-899-4154 or visit tasteandcreate.com.