BERNARDSTON — As the Bernardston Kiwanis Club wraps up its annual series of chicken pot pie fundraisers, folks will have a chance to support two great causes in one evening, as the United Church of Church of Bernardston is also hosting a benefit concert for the Sgt. Jacob Garmalo Memorial Fund.

Both events will take place on Saturday, April 27, at the United Church of Bernardston, 58 Church St., with the Kiwanis Club’s chicken pot pie dinner to support The United Arc beginning at 5 p.m. and ending at 6:30 p.m. with continuous seating available. The benefit concert will feature the choral group Fiery Hope and the trio The Uncles at 7 p.m. immediately after.

Kiwanis Club member Dan Devine said his group isn’t officially affiliated with the church’s event, but they’re hopeful people will stick around and support the second fundraiser because the church has been a wonderful partner to the club and the community as a whole.

“You can’t say enough about the church,” Devine said. “They’re trying to do a good thing, we’re trying to do a good thing. … Get dinner with some entertainment and go hit two things at once.”

Devine said the club is raising money to support The United Arc in remembrance of late Bernardston resident Lillian Deane, who began working with the organization in the mid-1960s and served on its board of directors. Lillian Deane and her husband, Russell, 95, also worked with the organization to get services for their daughter Nancy Lee, who had Down syndrome. Russell Deane was one of the founding members of the Bernardston Kiwanis Club and is still an active member.

“As a club, we’re doing this to help people who might need a little extra help,” Devine said, adding that funds in the past have helped supplement United Arc parties and other events. “It’s just to make someone’s day a little nicer … and I think that’s what Lillian’s goal was.”

Meals cost $15 and include chicken pot pie, butternut squash, cranberry sauce, a roll, drinks and Russell Deane’s homemade carrot cake. To reserve a meal or order one for takeout, call Kiwanis Club member Joel Cole at 413-834-5484.

Following the dinner, Devine said the Sgt. Jacob Garmalo Memorial Fund benefit concert will begin at 7 p.m. and folks won’t have to go far because it is “just up the flight of stairs.”

Garmalo was a 2012 graduate of Pioneer Valley Regional School in Northfield. He completed the correctional officer’s academy in June 2014. He had finished a night shift and had just left work on June 9, 2016, when his motorcycle collided with a car on Elm Street. He died of his injuries at Baystate Franklin Medical Center. Franklin County Sheriff Christopher Donelan posthumously promoted Garmalo to sergeant.

Following his death, the Sgt. Jacob Garmalo Memorial Fund was created. The money is used to help provide vital documents, such as birth certificates or identification cards, and clothing in an effort to help formerly incarcerated individuals overcome financial obstacles and re-enter society.

Garmalo believed in second chances for people who were trying to get their lives back on track and his mother, Kathleen Garmalo, said that was the type of man her son was.

“He believed in people getting second, and even third, chances,” Kathleen Garmalo told the Greenfield Recorder in December. “That’s the person he was. … We’re all very proud of him.”

The Fiery Hope chorus will feature about 25 local singers and The Uncles will feature the trio of Rob Adams, Dennis Avery and John Clark, who will perform a wide variety of genres featuring guitars, dobro, lap steel and electric bass. Percussionist Gail Hegeman will join the trio as a guest, along with Greenfield resident and longtime choral director Eveline MacDougall.

Attendees are invited to make a donation at the door. Folks can also contribute by mail to the Sgt. Jacob Garmalo Memorial Fund, c/o Greenfield Savings Bank, 400 Main St., Greenfield, MA 01302.

“It’s wrenching to witness how some people get left behind in our society,” MacDougall, who is also a Recorder columnist, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to join forces to honor the memory of Jacob Garmalo and to lend a hand to local people who are trying to make a fresh start.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.