Pouring into his volunteer work
Morrie Kirk got his first Taste about 10 years ago, and he keeps
coming back for more. Every year for the last decade, Kirk has
volunteered for the Taste of Newport, doing just about anything that
needs to be done, from taking tickets to pouring wine.
“I think this is something very good to be involved with,†Kirk,
70, said of the annual chamber fund-raiser. “It’s a very worthwhile
activity.â€
Finding time, though, is never easy. The longtime Balboa Island
resident, now living in Laguna Woods, is also a boat broker for
Newport Beach’s Orange Coast Yachts. This year, that meant working as
an exhibitor at the Lido Yacht Expo during the day on Friday, then
going to the Taste of Newport to pour wine in the Mondavi booth that
night.
“The most notable thing, I think, is how incredibly busy it gets
there,†Kirk said. “No matter what you’re doing there as a volunteer,
if you’re pouring wine, it’s just nonstop. Open a bottle, pour, pour,
open another. It’s a very busy activity.â€
This year, Kirk is just one of more than 900 volunteers who make
the Taste of Newport happen every year. The food and wine festival,
now in its 14th year, showcases some of the area’s best cuisine and
entertainment in an outdoor setting at Fashion Island.
“We couldn’t pull it off without the volunteers,†said Richard
Luehrs, president of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, which
puts on the event.
But for Kirk, a father of two and a grandfather of three, it’s all
about everyone doing one small part to contribute to a greater whole.
“It’s just one of the things you can do to give back a little,†he
said.
-- Story by June Casagrande; photo by Crystal Lauderdale
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