Erie Downtown Partnership Hosts Free Community Dinner
Area farmers join forces for a locally-sourced meal at Perry Square at no-cost to guests
Nick Warren
Monday, Sept. 16th, 2024
Helping connect residents with fresh, healthy, and sustainably-sourced food has been a longtime mission of the Erie Downtown Partnership. One upcoming evening will look to do exactly that.
On Monday, Sept. 30 at Perry Square, Erieites are welcomed and encouraged to attend a special Free Community Dinner. This will be made possible thanks to many of the food-growers who participated in this summer's Pay-What-You-Can Farmer's Market Stand.
Running from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m., guests are invited to sit and eat together for a locally-grown meal. Tables and seating will be provided, as well as utensils and food containers, as taking your food to go is also an option.
"It really feels like a fall harvest celebration," noted Stephanie Thauer of Raintree Farms. "The response we've seen from the Pay-What-You-Can Markets have proved to be something special and this feels like the perfect way to return that kind of goodwill."
In addition to the Conscious Food Project at Raintree Farms, participants will include BUILD CDC, Erie Farm to School, the Erie Food Policy Advisory Council, Groundwork Erie, the Grow and Glow Urban Collective, the Hamot Health Foundation, the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania, and the Wild Field Urban Farm.
"The concept occurred to us just by the fact that the produce looked so good already," explained Kristen Weeks of the Grow and Glow Collective. "We saw that what was on-hand would make for a pretty great meal altogether with just a couple of simple additions. Then the wheels started turning. It's kind of like a Chopped challenge but on a massive scale––and free!"
While the exact menu is still tentative, many farmers were prepared for an abundance of late-season cucumbers, onions, sweet corn, and squash. For a sweet treat, guests can likely look forward to a dish with peaches or grapes, as the harvest season dictates.
Donations are accepted but not at all required. "The Pay-What-You-Can Stand was really more of a market, and we want this event to be very inclusive and welcoming," explained Dave Tamulonis of the Erie Downtown Partnership. "We want it to feel like a big family dinner for the neighborhood to kick off our fall events in a special way."
#EDPfood #FreeCommunityDinner #PayWhatYouCanMarket #SustainableFood #ErieDowntownPartnership
