When philanthropic efforts convene, their effects can multiply. And the simple multiplication of doubling is what’s happening with the annual Black Friday Concert at The Kate on Friday, Nov. 29. One hundred percent of proceeds from ticket and CD sales will not only go to the Shoreline Soup Kitchen & Pantries (SSKP), but will be matched by the Gowrie Group, an independent insurance company based in Westbrook, as well as by pledges from several area businesses.

The concert takes place smack in the middle of the Gowrie Challenge, which began on Nov. 1 and runs through Dec. 31. During that time, the Gowrie Group will match all donations up to $30,000. Additional local partner sponsors together have provided an additional $25,000 in matching funds: BrandTech and Sound Rigging Services of Essex, LC Doane Company of Ivoryton, Tower Labs of Centerbrook and Clinton, and Lenny & Joe’s Fish Tale of Westbrook, Madison, and New Haven.

That means that all pledges up to $55,000 will be doubled, for a total donation of $110,000. But Gowrie Group hopes the community won’t stop once matching funds run out: It aims this year to raise an unprecedented $175,000 for those in need on the shoreline.

Concert History

The benefit concert itself began independently as an effort by local musicians Brian Wolfe, Paul Neri, and Jack Caldwell to give back, not just locally, but nationally. The three formed The Shoreline Acoustic Underground for this purpose; one of its earliest efforts, in 2005, enlisted the help of fellow musicians to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. That concert, at the Puppet House Theater in Stony Creek, Branford, was such a success that The Shoreline Acoustic Underground continued on.

When Wolfe’s wife, Rose Wolfe, suggested the group raise funds for the SSKP, Wolfe was skeptical. How could it be that soup kitchens and food pantries were needed on the tony Connecticut shoreline? A meeting with then-SSKP director Patty Dowling changed his mind.

“[S]he educated me about the needs of the working poor and the ever-growing needs of many of our friends and neighbors, who suffer in the shadows of so much wealth in the shoreline,” Wolfe said.

The Shoreline Acoustic Underground put together benefit CDs called Soup’s On and Food for Thought. Participating musicians contributed tracks they produced themselves as well as some money (around $200 each, Wolfe believes). This allowed the entirety of sales to be donated to SSKP. The CDs were sold at independent stores across the shoreline; Wolfe would regularly collect the proceeds and deliver them to the SSKP. CD release parties raised funds, as well.

The Shoreline Acoustic Underground produced its last concert in 2008. In 2010, the Black Friday Benefit Concert debuted at The Kate, which had opened the previous year. Wyeth Architects of Chester and AcousticMusic.Org of Guilford, both owned by Leonard “Trip” Wyeth, have underwritten the cost for renting The Kate ever since.

“To this day we have held fast to our original goal of 100 percent of the money received going directly to SSKP,” said Wolfe. (The only exception is the box office fee charged by The Kate, which is $3 per ticket.)

“The Kate has been a supporting partner, giving the benefit full access to all their promotional resources, helping the show be to the success it is,” said Wolfe.

The Concert Connection

Gowrie Group CEO Carter Gowrie is a musician himself and will perform at the concert as part of Carter Gowrie & Friends. Each group will play for about 20 minutes, he explained, then come together at the end to perform together.

From the start, Gowrie and the concert appeared to be a perfect match.

The Gowrie Group “wanted to do something philanthropical and we wanted to do it locally,” Gowrie explained. “We had a meeting [at the Westbrook office] and looked at...the charities in the neighborhood that we could help the most and that needed the help.”

They settled on SSKP.

“It’s a great organization that helps the 11 towns in the shoreline area,” he continued. “They have so much volunteer labor” and so much of the food is donated “that they can put a meal on the table for 40 cents.”

The Meadows Brothers, a.k.a. Dustin and Ian Meadows, who hail from Old Saybrook, will perform at the concert again this year.

“We love it,” said Dustin Meadows. “It’s a lot of fun. And it’s for a good cause so we look forward to it every year.

“It’s a wonderful experience, getting together with these other local musicians and using our talents to put on a show to help out local people in need,” he continued. “And it’s a really cool thing to be able to do as a musician, as an artist—to get out there and help other people. It’s a special event for all of us. It’s a feel-good event and everyone who goes has a really good time and feels they helped out.”

Additional musicians this year are Moving Target, Lauren Agnelli & Friends, Hugh Birdsall, and the Ebin-Rose Trio, which is Brian and Rose Wolfe’s group. All can be categorized broadly as folk, according to Gowrie, and the atmosphere is low key, with blue jeans an acceptable form of dress.

“I don’t think I ever dreamed back in 2006 that it would be almost 2020 and we’d still be doing the concert every year,” said Wolfe.

“Once Carter [Gowrie] agreed to make the concert part of the Gowrie Challenge, it kind of gave superfuel to the project,” he continued. “It’s an amazing thing that he does. Carter’s generosity astounds me.”

At the time of writing, about 60 percent of tickets were sold, but Gowrie is determined that it sell out this year. After all, the show’s not just a good time. It’s a great deal.

“You spend $25 for a ticket,” Gowrie said. “You get to listen to music by local artists. Gowrie matches your donation” and the $50 total contribution “feeds 125 people.”

“How can you get a better bang for your buck?” Gowrie asked. “You can’t beat it.”

A second program whose tickets sales will be matched as part of the Gowrie Challenge is Ahavah: The Story of Christmas, performed by Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet and Ekklesia School of Ballet. Performances will take place Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 7 and 8 at The Morgan School in Clinton. For more information, visit theahavahstory.com for more information.