Tom Mercante, founder of Mercasa Little Italy Eatery, stopped by North Park Collegiate and Vocational School to donate $400 to its music program on Wednesday, February 5, 2025.
The former teacher turned executive chef, hosted an “Italian Family Feast” fundraiser in support of the school’s music program throughout the month of December, giving residents the opportunity to contribute to the cause and enjoy a tasty meal all at the same time.
Kristin Reid, a music teacher at North Park, said Mercante and her came up with the idea after they met when she was in the area for a PD day last year.
“He’s a former educator himself and so he understands how little time other teachers and I have in a day, and so he wanted to make it as easy as possible for us. I reached out to him again at a later date and he suggested that we could do a specific meal deal through Mercasa where families could order the “Italian Family Feast” and then proceeds from that would come to our music program,” said Reid. “It was great because not only was it easy for us but it was also mutually beneficial because there were some families who were already familiar with Mercasa and love the food, but then there were also families who hadn’t tried it before and got to discover a new place to eat. He also wasn’t kidding when he said it was a feast, there was probably enough food for five teenage boys. I ordered it for my family and it lasted us the whole weekend.”
Reid explained that part of the donation will go towards repairing the school’s aging instruments.
“We have a lot of instruments in our inventory, but given that they’re about 20-plus-years-old, they are aging and so our repair costs are quite high,” she said. “While we could look into buying brand new ones, the students really care for the instruments they have,and they like them as well, so I would prefer to try to maintain and repair older, good quality pieces until they’re no longer usable.”
Reid added that the funds will also go towards buying new sheet music for student performances.
“At North Park, we have a Music Council made up of students in Grades 10 through 12. These students take on leadership roles, helping us decide the music for our performances and picking what festivals we’ll participate in, things like that” Reid explained. “Music means a lot to teenagers, so giving them the opportunity to choose pieces that are relevant to them helps them feel a sense of ownership over the music program, and actually, for our next concert, they’ve chosen a ‘Decades’ theme. They’ve selected some really great songs, including pieces from ‘Dirty Dancing,’ The Beatles, and even Earth, Wind & Fire’s ‘September.’ However, I need to purchase the music for all of these, which can be expensive and so the funds raised will also go toward purchasing the music.”
Overall, Reid said she was grateful for Mercante’s generosity and knows it will undoubtedly make a difference for her students.
“I just want to thank Mercasa for this great opportunity,” she said. “Tom was really awesome to work with, and the food just tasted amazing. It’s a really great business to have in Brantford and in the community so I really appreciate his help with this, I know it means a lot to our students.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
