Where can you get a fabulous, affordable meal featuring locally grown, seasonal, sustainably raised food with 200 of your best friends for the price of a small donation? Evening Meals at School, sponsored by Lopez Locavores, has given our island community that opportunity monthly during the school year since January 2008.
Beginning Oct. 7, this year’s program has been condensed into four meals, each showcasing a season. Responding to requests from past attendees, the emphasis for the coming school year has shifted towards a family-friendly event. Look for new menu items that the entire family will love and childcare during the meal. As in past years, Jean Perry and Kim Bast will work their culinary magic and head up the kitchen staff. To volunteer, call the new coordinator, Sarah Rabel, at 468-2578.
Mark your calendars for the winter meal on Jan. 27, the spring meal on March 31 and the final summer meal on May 26. The Locavores are working hard to ensure that everyone who attends will get a delicious family meal and see how easy it is to cook with fresh whole food while supporting our local farmers.
In the past year, Locavores received the designation of a 501c3 non-profit organization to allow the community to help the Evening Meals program cover its costs with tax-deductible donations of $50 or more.
Evening Meals at school was originally inspired by the L.I.F.E. Program (Lopez Island Farm Education) at the school which teaches students to grow and eat healthy, local, organic food. Locavores hopes to increase its involvement over the coming year by organizing Evening Meals around the L.I.F.E. curriculum as well as pulling students directly into the planning and food preparation on a regular basis. Kim Bast, treasurer of the board, has been invited to sit on the school’s new Career and Technical Education Committee.
Another exciting outreach into the community is the new batch of classes that will be offered in the coming months. Watch for news about a series on vegetable garden preparation and propagation, a range of different cooking classes, and a Kitchen Tour featuring a diverse group of island homes. Also on the upcoming calendar is a fancy Valentines Day dinner on Feb. 12 where islanders can support the Locavores while relaxing around a stunning upscale gourmet meal.
In mid-October, on behalf of the Lopez Locavore mission, Bast will attend the Terra Madre Conference in Turin, Italy, a prestigious invitation-only international gathering of Slow Food advocates. Locavores plan to sponsor a program when she returns to report on exciting new developments in the Slow Food movement.
Since its founding in 2008 by Michele Heller, Danah Feldman, Kim Bast, and Jean Perry, Lopez Locavores has gently pushed forward its objectives of reconnecting with local food sources, revitalizing community interest in growing gardens and preserving food, and teaching responsible land stewardship. Sue Roundy joined a year ago and recently, Marney Reynolds, and Ande Finley came on board, allowing the group to consider a greater range and depth of activities.
For more information, check out their mission, links to local farms, and Evening Meals recipes on the Lopez Locavore website, http://lopezlocavores.org/.
