A bottle of white. A bottle of red. All to help benefit Dartmouth’s Council on Aging.

Dozens of residents and town officials filled the historic Green Mansion and club house at Round Hill on Saturday night to enjoy drinks, food, and music as the Friends of the Elderly’s gala fundraiser made its return for the first time in four years.

The gala, which is held every other year (aside from 2020 due to the pandemic), is the biggest fundraiser of the year, said Friends of the Elderly President Maria Connor.

Funds from this year’s event will all go toward renovating the kitchen at the Maria Connor Center for Active living, something Connor said is in desperate need of improvement.

Recently, the center was given $50,000 to upgrade the kitchen via the state’s budget for fiscal year 2023. The next step, Connor said, is getting started on the actual upgrades, as she noted that plans have already been drafted and submitted for approval.

“Hopefully the bureaucracy will move fast,” Connor said with a smile. “We’re ready to go.”

Council on Aging Director Amy DiPietro said she was very pleased with the turnout to the gala, but was even more impressed with the Friends’, in particular Connor’s, dedication to assisting the center over the years.

“You can’t say enough about them,” she said.