Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center Director of Volunteers & Community Programs, Nancy Harten and Executive Director, Heather Hole Strout welcomed BankNewport Vice President/Newport Branch Sales Manager Evan Rose, and BankNewport Vice President/Middletown Branch Sales Manager Patrick Burns.

BankNewport today announced that it has donated more than 100 Halloween treat bags to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Newport in support of its “Food 2 Friends” program: a monthly grocery delivery service for homebound neighbors and people who are otherwise unable to visit its onsite food pantry.

BankNewport Retail Team members Amy Riccitelli, SVP Director of Retail Sales, Ryan Galitskie, VP Regional Sales Manager, and Matt Basileo, Retail Program Administrator.

According to Bank Newport, members of their Retail Team assembled the treat bags, which include Halloween candy, and wrote notes of good wishes to accompany them; the bags were delivered to the MLK Center on October 4th by members of BankNewport’s Retail Team.

“With Halloween just a few short weeks away, our Retail Team wanted to do something ‘sweet’ for our neighbors,” said Amy Riccitelli, Senior Vice President, Director of Retail Sales, BankNewport in a statement. “We are proud to support the MLK Center’s ‘Food 2 Friends’ program and hope that our treat bags put a smile on the face of those who receive them this Halloween season.”

“We are grateful to BankNewport for continuing to partner with the MLK Center to lift up the lives of so many in our community time and time again. These cards and treat bags will bring hope and happiness to so many in Newport County who are homebound,” said Heather Hole Strout, Executive Director of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center Director of Volunteers & Community Programs, Nancy Harten and Executive Director, Heather Hole Strout welcomed BankNewport Vice President/Newport Branch Sales Manager Evan Rose, and BankNewport Vice President/Middletown Branch Sales Manager Patrick Burns.

Ryan Belmore is the Publisher of What'sUpNewp. 
Belmore has been involved with What’sUpNewp since shortly after its launch in 2012, proudly leading it to be named Best Local News Blog in Rhode Island by Rhode Island Monthly readers in 2018, 2019, and 2020 and an honorable mention in the Common Good Awards in 2021.

Born and raised in Rhode Island, Belmore graduated from Coventry High School and the Community College of Rhode Island. In addition to living in Newport for 10 years, he has lived in Portsmouth, Coventry, Providence, Smithfield, Burrillville, and East Greenwich.

Belmore currently serves as Vice President of the Board Of Directors for Fort Adams Trust and on the Board of Directors for Potter League For Animals. He previously served on the Board of Lucy's Hearth and the Arts & Cultural Alliance for Newport County.

Belmore and his wife, Jen, currently live in Alexandria, Virginia, a move they made in 2021. Read more about that here - https://whatsupnewp.com/2021/09/letter-from-the-publisher-some-personal-news/

Belmore visits Newport every couple of weeks to support the 12+ paid contributors What'sUpNewp has on the ground across Rhode Island, a place he called home for 39 years.

Belmore is a member of Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers, Society of Professional Journalists, and the North American Snowsports Journalists Association.

In 2020, Belmore was named Member of the Year by LION and won the Arts & Cultural Alliance of Newport County's Dominque Award.
Belmore can be contacted at ryan@whatsupnewp.com and 401-662-1653.