UNITY, Maine — The farms and pastureland around the town of Unity are rich and productive, but that doesn’t mean that everyone in the area has an easy time getting enough good food to eat.
That’s why a group of dedicated volunteers is once again holding an event to help support hunger relief in the Unity area — the much-loved Empty Bowls benefit dinner. The event features beautiful, locally made pottery bowls and locally sourced food, according to Sara Trunzo, director of the area nonprofit organization Veggies For All, and Mary Leaming of the Unity Barn Raisers.
People who come to the benefit dinner, to be held on Tuesday, March 15, at the new Unity Food Hub building, will share in a simple soup dinner and take home one of the bowls they find there.
“The idea is to bring home a very tangible reminder of all the folks in the community who have less equal access to good food,” Trunzo said. “It’s a big concept, and a simple meal.”
So far this year, 137 handmade bowls have been donated to the event. They have come from the potters at Unity Pond Pottery, the Unity College art department, the Mount View High School art department and many other artists around the county and state.
“The stuff is breathtaking,” Leaming said.
The ingredients for the meal also will be mostly from local sources, including grains, dry beans and vegetables.
“It all comes back to food and agriculture,” Trunzo said. “The food insecurity issue in Waldo County does mirror the phenomenon happening across the state. Shockingly, about one in four children in Maine experiences food insecurity, and about one in five seniors experiences food insecurity. Parts of Waldo County are even classified as a food desert.”
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, food deserts can be defined in many ways, but usually are areas with a lack of access to healthy food, lower levels of family income and limited public transportation, among other indicators.
“It’s really a kind of heartbreaking irony of rural communities where food is getting produced, and yet sometimes folks in those communities can’t afford the local food,” Trunzo said.
The Volunteer Regional Food Pantry serves about 1,500 people, and funds raised at the Empty Bowls event will be an integral part of the agency’s operating budget. Trunzo and Leaming said that one of the things they appreciate about their community is how much residents are willing to help neighbors who need a hand.
“We think it’s the best town ever,” Leaming said, adding that she also is looking forward to having attendees check out the old school building that has been renovated into the Unity Food Hub. “We’re all sharing ideas. We’re all invested in making our community a better space.”
Empty Bowls 2016 will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 15, at Maine Farmland Trust’s Unity Food Hub at 69 School Street, Unity. For more information or to make a donation, contact Mary Leaming at 948-9005 or at programs@unitybarnraisers.org.