Food banks and other nonprofits rely on outside support in order to perform at their best, and as the holiday season fades away, these groups are doing everything they can to keep up their presence, even if they have to blast music in order to do it.

Borderview Christian Church will be hosting a fundraiser concert Saturday, April 6, for the Assistance and Resource Ministries, bringing musicians from the Tri-Cities to support families in need.

Scott Reynolds, a deacon at the church and a board member of ARM, said the concert seemed like a good way to bring in both donations and general awareness of what they do.

“This is something the community typically responds well to,” Reynolds said. “It is the idea of sharing unique and different music.”

The level of uniqueness stems from the two performers who will be present during the concert, like the East Tennessee State University Mandolin Orchestra. A mandolin is a type of stringed instrument similar to a lute.

The other group is a quartet of performers called Lifted, featuring Loretta Bowers, Fred Goodwin, Tony Rominger and Rusty Melton.

“Lots of talent will be here,” he said. “These are local people.”

ARM has existed in Elizabethton for a number of years, and Reynolds said its $75,000 budget eventually strains throughout the year.

“We have two employees: the director and an assistant,” Reynolds said. “Our expenses go to maintaining the building and buying food.”

While some of their food stock comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), he said the center is always in need of donations.

“We serve about 500 to 600 families a month,” he said.

The concert itself is free to attend, but those in attendance will pass around a love offering to collect donations for ARM.

For those interested in making a donation before or after the concert, he said there are several options.

“You can make a donation through ARM’s website or by delivering a check to our building,” Reynolds said.

He said they accept both food and clothing. He said they recommend the former be non-perishables (like canned food) because it is easier to store.

The concert itself will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at 1338 Bristol Highway in Elizabethton.

“I think this is going to be great,” Reynolds said.