A local Jersey Shore musician is raising money for charity by holding virtual concerts from his home.

With no bars or music venues to play in, Pat Roddy says that local musicians are struggling. He says that he decided to provide some much-needed entertainment for his fans by performing on Facebook.

“The first week was just, ‘Give me requests.’ And we had fun with it. It was like a little variety show,” Roddy says.

Roddy says that within 24 hours his concert had 12,000 views. So, he says that he decided to expand.

“I was like, wow. If we can hit that many people, I know plenty of local charities that need money,” he says.

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Roddy says that the following week he used Facebook to raise money for Fulfill the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. The goal was to raise $1,500. But he raised $8,000 by the time his 2-hour set was complete.

“You get on my page and it’s a direct button right to Fulfill. So, it doesn’t go through me, it doesn’t go through a middle man,” Roddy says.

He says that he now plans to hold virtual concerts every Wednesday to benefit different charities. The next concert will raise money for Interfaith Neighbors of Asbury Park. Roddy says that he encourages his audience to participate.

“Make requests of any kind of song you want, because I have a book in front of me where I can sing – badly – anything you want,” he says.

The next virtual concert will be Wednesday at 7 p.m. and can be viewed from the Pat Roddy Band Facebook page.