Millerton wine shop owner organizes charity wine tasting for local child

MILLERTON — Two local business owners have joined forces to put on a charity wine tasting benefitting Millerton's Slater family.

Crew Slater, a 5-year-old Millerton native, needs a kidney transplant to survive congenital kidney disease. Millerton Wine & Spirits owner Chris Jeans and Pasture Kitchen founder Austin Cornell have organized a charity wine tasting at Pasture Kitchen on Route 44 next Thursday, Oct. 29, from 6 to 8 p.m.

"It's challenging enough to raise children now in the 21st century," Jeans said. "And even harder when a child has a health complication."

Jeans was inspired to join the community in supporting the Slater family after a charity motorcycle ride in August. He said his family was out of town at the time and he wanted to create another opportunity to help.

Admission to the wine tasting is $30 per person or $50 per couple, and door proceeds will all benefit the Slater family, Jeans said.

Cassidey Slater, Crew’s mother, said in August he has been struggling with multiple congenital issues since birth, including improperly functioning kidneys, bladder and colon.

Crew underwent his first surgery at just days old in August 2020. In the nearly six years since, he has endured countless visits to hospitals in Albany and Boston and multiple surgeries to treat his medical conditions.

Crew was undergoing treatment in August to prepare him for a desperately needed kidney transplant. Cassidey said he had reached stage 4 kidney disease, currently functioning at just 20% capacity of a set of healthy kidneys. Stage 5 of the disease is total kidney failure.