We can’t believe our Community Cultivator is already over! It was such a beautiful autumn evening, sun setting over Azalea Station with the smooth jazz from Animal Lounge filling the atomosphere, leading into a night filled with amazing food, incredible prizes and most importantly cultivating a community. With a turnout of over 300 community members, the event demonstrated the shared goal of strengthening the local food system.

This was a free event for any and all to attend, and while raising funds is part of our goal at Feast Down East, it wasn’t that night and we received over $2,750 in donations through raffle tickets, silent auctions and unsolicited donations; including 10% of drink sales from Azalea Station. With over 300 guests True Blue’s generous donation was to prepare and cater the food, serving over 1,000 dishes with a tasting menu that paid tribute to the rich tapestry of local agriculture.

Raffle and silent auction prizes showcased the wide array of items and services by our local businesses, who generously donated these in support of our mission to strengthen our local food system, providing farmers with market opportunities and underserved communities to access fresh, nutritious and local food.

The night consisted of a delicious menu to feature the wide variety of food that we offer through our Food Hub and Local Motive Mobile Farmers’ Market, all from local farmers growing and producing nutritious and seasonal food. There was a pickle tasting featuring a medley of pickled vegetables, beef and vegan eggrols, chips and hummus, goat cheese empanadas, mini macarons, and popcorn from just a few of farmers like Bee Blessed, Britt Farms, Shardes of Agrikulture, Footprints in the Garden Red Beard Farms, Grassroots, Seal Love Sea Salt, Holly Grove and Cottle Organics – that’s not even half of the farmers we work with.

Besides the amazing food, music and raffle prizes it was an educational experience for the guests, to learn more about Feast Down East and what we do in our community. One way was through a bingo/scavenger game to find facts about Feast Down East and all of our programs and reach, and receive a prize if your card is pulled out of the basket.

We are more than elated to have had such a success that evening, and thank each and every one of you for all of your support and making our Community Cultivator a night to remember! It was more than a celebration of our community, but an enlightening experience about the mission of Feast Down East and the importance of supporting local farmers to bring nutritious, fresh food to communities in need. Thank you again to all of our sponsors, local farmers, attendees and everyone who contributed to making this event a success. We look forward to many more gatherings to celebrate and uplift our local food system.