Rich Marcuccio, manager of Newtown Stop & Shop; Newtown resident Chris Sferruzzo, The Moms Club of Newtown, and FAITH Food Pantry are gearing up for the 2015 Newtown Car Show. This year’s event is being planned  for Saturday, June 20 — the eve of Father’s Day — in the parking lot of Stop & Shop, 228 South Main Street in Newtown. Rain date is Saturday, June 27.

All money raised through the car show will go to the food pantry, who will share proceeds with Monroe Food Pantry and Newtown’s Salvation Army Food Pantry.

There are already 250 cars registered for the show, according to Nancy Taylor of FAITH Food Pantry. Half of the cars are “super cars,” she said, and half are classics.

“We attend a lot of car events all over the country, and many shows struggle getting to critical mass,” said Mr Sferruzzo. “Our show, after five years, has grown exponentially every year.

“We have an incredible network and reputation for running a show with high quality cars and people,” he added.

New this year is The Kindness Dream Ride (KDR), which has ballooned to 85 cars.  Approximately 100 winners have been selected from Newtown public and private schools to ride in the exotic cars.

Each child will receive a KDR T-shirt, a medal, and a complimentary gourmet lunch provided by Barnwood Grill.

The police escorted Kindness Dream Ride will be led by red, white and blue Ford GTs and will include a parade of exotic cars such as Ferrari, McLaren, Maserati, Lamborghini, Viper, Nissan GTR, Corvette and marquee cars such as La Ferrari, Enzo, Ferrari Speciale A, SSC Aero and Pagani Huayra.

Black and white checkered flags will be handed out at Stop & Shop beginning June 1. They will be used along the route to wave to the parade of cars in the Kindness Dream Rides.

“The KDR is unique and our way of thanking children for all their kindness work,” said Mr Sferruzzo. “It also invites the whole community into the celebration.”

Organizers are expected upward of 2,500 attendees this year. Due to this, additional spectator parking has been secured at Middle Gate School. A shuttle bus will be running, transporting spectators to and from the event.

Music and MC duties are being provided by Newtown Bee Associate Editor and radio personality John Voket.

Raffle, Donations In Motion

A brand-new Cadet ride-on mower valued at $1,700 is being raffled as part of the event. Donated by the Sferruzo family of Newtown, the mower raffle is being coordinated by The Moms Club of Newtown. Tickets are $5 and on sale at Stop & Shop in Newtown.

Also already ongoing is an opportunity to donate pallets of goods.

“Donating a pallet of goods — available in $250, $500 and $1,000 valuations — ensures that the pantries get nutritionally balanced items that they can retrieve from Stop & Shop at the appropriate time to feed the many hungry families in Newtown and nearby communities,” explained Ms Taylor. Some of the event sponsors, drivers and kindness winners have starting running their own food drives and raising funds.

Thanks to this option, donations have already surpassed last year’s record-setting accomplishments, according to Ms Taylor. The 2014 show raised more than $1,300 in cash donations for FAITH Food Pantry, along with nearly $9,000 worth of donated goods. The nonecumenical volunteer-driven food pantry situated in Sandy Hook has been helping residents put food on their tables since 1983.

There is very limited space available for additional vendors.

Volunteers are still being sought. Newtown Police Explorers, the Newtown High School Wrestling team and many local residents have offered their time to help with the event, but additional volunteers will be needed to make the event run smoothly.

Anyone interested in volunteering should call Nancy Taylor at 203-240-9460 for details.

Visit Newtown Car Show on Facebook. For those interested in participating, send an email to organizers at @newtowncarshow for updates including photos, or on Twitter at newtowncarshow@gmail.com.