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The Lighthouse community kitchen raises $23,000 after hosting fundraising concert

November 20, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Joshua Drakes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Soup kitchens and food banks play an increasingly critical role in supporting Canadians, especially here in Orangeville. One local kitchen in particular was on the receiving end of a massive showing of community support.

The Lighthouse, located on Broadway, has been serving hot meals to those in need for years, offering a compassionate hand for those who need that extra support. Currently sponsored and supported by the Uptown Church, they recently held a fundraising concert, titled Ignite the Night, on Saturday, Nov. 15, at the church’s old theatre.

Lighthouse Food Administrator Krista Taylor told the Citizen the concert was an unmistakable success.

“The concert went absolutely amazing,” she said. “We sold out, minus 10 tickets. That’s 240 sold. The feedback and reception from the audience was very positive. They loved the concert, they loved the band.”

On the fundraising side, she said they were extremely successful at securing donations and building community support.

“We got some more donors and sponsors, and we had matching donations going up to $5,000,” Taylor said. “It was very cool to see. All in all, deducting from the expenses of the night, we raised $23,000 for The Lighthouse.”

Taylor said this number was far beyond the sum they had hoped for. Leading up to the concert, The Lighthouse expected to raise a maximum of $10,000 in donations, but thanks to overwhelming local support, they more than doubled that amount.

Taylor gave a massive shoutout to the Orangeville Lions Club, who were their headline sponsor for the night. The club donated the largest single sum, totalling $7,500.

Dan Roach of the Orangeville Lions Club said that the money they raise comes from their weekly Lions TV Bingo Games.

“We have our Lions Rogers Bingo every Wednesday night, and all the money we raise from that goes right back into this community,” he said. “The Lighthouse had reached out to us looking for some support, and this case really hit home for the club. They were asking for food. They told us $7,500 makes 750 meals.”

“We agreed, overwhelmingly, that this is a good cause to support,” Roach added.

Holding true to the Lions’ motto of ‘We Serve,’ Roach said that this is a perfect example of the work they do to help the community. He said that, thanks to their weekly TV Bingo nights, they raise roughly $200,000 a year to donate to charitable causes across town.

And this isn’t the first time the local club has supported The Lighthouse.

“This is actually the second time the Orangeville Lions Rogers Bingo money has been sent to them,” Roach said. “We’ve bought them a stove in the past, so we’ve already had some background with The Lighthouse, so it was very easy to come back to them.”

Currently, The Lighthouse is seeing the highest demand they have witnessed in years and is struggling to keep up, both in terms of meals and space.

“Right now, we’re on track to actually hit about 10,000 meals this year,” Taylor said. “Last year, it reached the 8,000 mark, so it’s been a noticeable increase. We’re seeing a lot of new faces, especially those coming from shelters in the area. We are seeing about 30 to 40 people per day.”

“We’re bursting at the seams right now,” she remarked.

Taylor said they are preparing for their upcoming Christmas banquet and are asking for donations of not just food but also warm clothing and toiletries.

“We are looking for hats, scarves, gloves, handwarmers, personal toothpaste and a brush,” she said. “Just something for them to take into the winter holidays. If anyone is feeling generous, that would be absolutely great. Even just coming in and helping with the food would be a great help.”

Likewise, Roach said the Lions Club is also looking for more volunteers.

“The Orangeville Lions are always looking for new members,” Roach said. “We are a growing club in town. If anyone is interested, please go to our website and check it out, or even reach out to me directly.”

Their next big fundraiser is also coming up next March, which is the Home and Garden Show, where Dan hopes to see many faces from the town.

For more information on The Lighthouse, go to https://www.theuptownchurch.ca/lighthouse/.

For more information on the Orangeville Lions Club, go to https://orangevillelions.org/.

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