By Kathleen McKenna

Earlier this month, members of the Hull PorchFest team were honored to attend the Hull Lifesaving Museum’s monthly veterans coffee hour, along with a large group of local vets and family members. 

PorchFest president Sue Lynch, a Desert Storm veteran who currently serves as an Army Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer, presented a check for $5,000 to HLM development director Maureen Gillis. The money was raised by PorchFest over the past year through grants, donations, and the sale of PorchFest merchandise, on and before the free PorchFest music festival that took place in the Kenberma neighborhood on September 14. The funds will go toward the museum’s programs for veterans, including coffee-hour speaker fees, and boat-building and rowing sessions that are free to veterans.

“PorchFest was a part of the community that embraced me when I first moved to Hull,” Lynch said. “So I was happy to join the PorchFest team and so glad when the board decided we’d make our local veterans the recipient of our 2024 fundraising efforts.”

“The HLM vet program is one that resonates with me personally, because it fosters community among vets,” she said. “Given that only 1% of Americans serve, returning home is a challenging one when your military experience is not common in your community. Bringing veterans together provides continuing camaraderie and a sense of belonging, as well as health and wellness.”

In past years, PorchFest has raised funds for the Anne M. Scully Senior Center and the Hull High School music program. The PorchFest team is very grateful to the town for its support this year, and in particular to Chief John Dunn and the Hull Police, who helped make the HLM donation possible by generously providing a free detail on event day.

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