The Chicago duo Switchback will perform a benefit concert for the St. Ignace Hope Chest Saturday, August 11, at 7 p.m. at the St. Ignace Marina. The band plays blues, folk, Irish, jazz, and Americana music.

Tickets are $10, and can be purchased at the concert or in advance. For ticket information, call the St. Ignace Chamber of Commerce at 643-8717 or 643- 6979.

The Hope Chest resale store in St. Ignace raised $15,600 to help people in the community in the past year, reported Connie Litzner, assistant coordinator for Hope Chest. The store on Ferry Lane has doubled its floor space in the past month, she said, owing to the growing number of donated items and of shoppers.

The $15,600 represents 44.7% of all monies brought in by the store; 48.7% of the budget is used for building maintenance and rent, and 6.6% is used for administrative costs, such as a telephone line. The store is staffed by volunteers, and prices are set by donation.

The Hope Chest emergency hotline, 643-6780, can be used to connect people with food through the St. Ignace Food Pantry, shelter, transportation, and help with utilities or medical expenses.

"The community has been wonderful," Mrs. Litzner said. The money raised from August 2006 to August 2007 came from sales at the store and initial start-up donations, she pointed out.

The store offers furniture, clothing, housewares, toys, and baby items. It is always in need of more volunteers, Mrs. Litzner said.