Amplifying Hope: Inside Mike Goetz’s Benefit Show at Star City Studios
Interview by Margarita Ponce
Photography by Daniel West
As the federal government reinstates SNAP benefits for millions, many Americans now face the threat of losing them for good. Under the new USDA guidance tied to the president’s megabill, states must learn to adopt strict work requirements, narrow eligibility, take on program costs and changes that could significantly limit access to essential support for vulnerable communities.
At a time when rising need has placed immense pressure on local food banks, one El Paso musician and sound engineer decided to bring community support into action. Hosted by Mike Goetz at Star City Studios, this benefit show brought together local vendors, raffles, a vibrant mix of musicians and community members under a shared mission to support El Pasoans Fighting Hunger and most importantly to remind families across the region that they are not alone. In this interview with Mike, we take a look at how this event came together, why music remains such a powerful source of connection, and the lasting impact it hopes to make for those facing hardship in El Paso today.
Q: Can you tell us the inspiration behind hosting this benefit show at Star City Music Studios?
A: Yeah of course, the studio in general has always been a place of love, inclusivity and openness. I was looking around to see if there was anywhere I could help during times of need with the shutdown and with the SNAP food benefits putting stress on the food banks. Additionally, with the holiday season coming up, there’s a lot of families who are not as fortunate as some of us are. I saw an opportunity to use our space and skills to try to put something up and help the community. I decided that I’d look to see if it’d be possible for us to do it. I got the okay from just about every single person that I asked and from there I just started organizing and getting everything together.
Q: What cause or organization did the donations support in this event?
A: I had reached out to El Pasoans Fighting Hunger which is the region’s largest food bank. They got back to me within a day or two and we quickly set up a meeting to discuss what 
was needed to make this event come together. At the end they were super thrilled that we were willing to do something like this to help them during this time. They’re also extremely eager to have another one next year!
Q: How would you describe the mission of El Pasoans Fighting Hunger and in what ways were people able to contribute to the benefit show?
A: Their mission is essentially to ensure that they can get families supplies that they need to survive. Now the biggest factor is food, but for a food bank there’s so many things that go into organizing and maintaining that entire operation. They had told us that food is accepted but they really needed more assistance with raising funds. For them, $1 can be stretched to almost $7 across the entire operation. There’s a lot of resources needed so having a general currency like money helps deliver everything more efficiently and more securely.
Q: How did you bring together vendors, performers, and the community for this event?
A: Initially I had actually just reached out to a friend of the studio and somebody who comes by for her events for something called the holistic Mercado. I asked her what things I might need to account for if I haven’t already thought of them and she helped me connect with a few people to make it happen. From there it was just about making calls letting people know what I’m doing, letting them know that I’m from an established recording space here in El Paso and that we’re officially partnering with El Pasoans Fighting Hunger. The idea that none of us that are participating are doing it for ourselves in any way, but instead we’re trying to make sure that we give ourselves to the cause. I had made it pretty clear with every vendor and everybody was participating that it’s a non-profit thing. So there were no payments going out and everyone understood the assignment and was on board for it all.
Q: Why do you think music is such a powerful tool for bringing people together for a good cause?
A: I love this question! And I’ll tell you that sometimes it’s actually hard for me to talk about music without tearing up a little bit just because it’s such a beautiful and powerful thing for us humans. I can go into detail about the stuff about the mother’s heartbeat and creating rhythm from when we’re a fetus and to how we use it for therapy to calm the mind of many people, whether it be at a concert or professional psychiatric care. Overall, music is a beautiful source that heals and brings people together. At its core, it is very community driven, it inspires, moves and connects us in ways words alone never could. It’s often that we look to music to help us through troubles, whether it be a breakup, a loss, general hardships, to lifting us up even further in churches, concerts and even daily routines like when heading into work.
Q: How did it feel to witness the community come together to support one another through this event?
A: It was such a beautiful thing. Just about every single call I made resulted in a “Yes, I can absolutely help. What do you need?” and that just made everything feel so solid with everyone looking out for each other. It was a good feeling knowing I have such a great community around me and here in El Paso.
Q: What has been the most rewarding part of putting this show together?
A: The feeling of accomplishment. Winded up raising more than our goal by a little over double. And knowing that this was put together in such a short notice, we were still able to achieve more than we were initially aiming for was very rewarding. At the end of the night. I remember thinking to myself how amazing it was that so many people were willing to give themselves, their time and of course their funds to just help support this goal in helping donate back to families.
Q: How do events like this strengthen the local community?
A: I think events like this really show that you’re not alone and that there are many people around wanting to help and be a part of the change. It’s a lot of work that has to get done and sometimes people feel like “oh well, my contribution won’t really add anything to the big picture so why try” or “I’m not helpful enough so I won’t get in the way” but stuff like this shows that every individual is a part of the community and anyone that involves themselves becomes a stepping stone to achieving a better place for all of it. In general, I would say it shows that people are willing to show up and help in times of need and that in turn usually inspires others who might have thought that they were alone or weren’t enough to help get involved as well.
Q: What impact do you hope today’s benefit will have on the El Pasoans struggling today?
A: I’m hoping that our benefits show not only raise the funds but also reinforce the idea that community is here for us. We are the community, we’re here for each other and people shouldn’t feel like they’re alone and this kind of stuff. I’m also hoping that it might inspire more people to do larger scale things as well. I think that would be my biggest hope.
For those interested in giving back, supporting your local food bank is the way you can get more involved. It is an opportunity to learn more about hunger-relief efforts, contribute directly and make a real impact alongside you community,
El Pasoans Fighting Hunger:
https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/donor-form/?svcid=tcs&formId=4315a7fb-fa6f-4f94-98d6-839097035e7e&envid=p-3Zy64CNsVEuX9r4zywnbRQ&zone=usa
