Piano concert for center
Internationally acclaimed pianist Ching-Yun Hu will stage a benefit concert for the William Way LGBT Community Center at 7 p. m. Jan. 7 at the center, 1315 Spruce St.
This will be Hu’s second engagement at the center, following last year’s inaugural benefit performance at the Ethical Society.
Hu, who hails from Taiwan, has won a host of awards, including a silver medal at the Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition and the top prize at the Concert Artists Guild International Competition.
Tickets are $30, or $25 for members, and will include a post-concert reception. Tickets can be purchased at www.waygay.org or by calling 215-732-2220.
Mazzoni gets 5% from Whole Foods
Mazzoni Center’s food bank for those living with HIV will get a boost next week from two local grocery stores.
Two Whole Foods Market locations, at 2001 Pennsylvania Ave. near the Art Museum and 929 South St., will donate 5 percent of their net profits Jan. 12 to Mazzoni Center’s Vivian’s Cupboard program, which provides free, nutritious meals for families affected by the disease.
Both stores are open from 8 a.m.-10 p.m.
Mazzoni Center staffers and volunteers will be at stores from 4-6:30 p.m. to answer questions about the program.
Funding still in flux
The HIV/AIDS service community has been grappling with funding losses following last month’s announcement of Centers for Disease Control prevention awards, and Mazzoni Center, which appeared to have seen increased funding, is now reporting that it too took a hit.
The agency initially saw a jump from $610,000 to about $665,000 in the funding, distributed by the city’s AIDS Activities Coordinating Office, but Mazzoni Center executive director Nurit Shein said she learned last week that a state contract was shifted to the federal program.
Mazzoni was said to have seen an increase in the testing category but Shein said that, since its previous state contract was included in the federal award, the agency was essentially level funded in three categories, and took a $70,000 hit in the comprehensive-risk counseling services category.
— Jen Colletta