SOURIS VILLAGE FEAST July 05, 2015

Village Feast is a business /community-based volunteer fundraiser which assists children with needs both locally and globally. Where there is plenty, charity is a duty. Celebrating our abundance as a community through Feast For us, it’s a giant grilling event for 1300 and sharing the proceeds with those who have less abundance. We have a pile of fun doing it! Our goal is to raise $35, annually to meet our charitable commitments.

They are Island-based. We are familiar with the work they do in rural Kenya. $16, of the funds raised will go to building a cookhouse with fuel efficient cookers for a school in Kenya where hundreds of children will eat daily. As well, funding is provided for gardeners for all seven schools in Kenya. Education in the global village should be a priority for all NGOs because the future leaders of these countries will come from schools like the ones where the cookhouses will be built. We all know how important proper nutrition is to learning. Which global charity are we helping? We chose Farmers Helping Farmers because:

The ninth Village Feast cookhouse will be built in Currently in schools without cookhouses, the outdoor cookers being used require wood and this must be carried by hand a long distance to the school. As wood is scarce and only wind fall and dead wood can be used, these cookers are quite smoky and very inefficient. Cooks often had vision and respiratory problems due to tending the fire. The newly designed cooker still burns wood but has a flue and a contained fire box. They are very efficient thus using less of their valuable wood resource.

Cookhouse built in Kenya

Farmers Helping Farmers Farmers Helping Farmers has a school twining program with 17 PEI and Kenyan schools. This helps to educate our youth about the global village we all belong to. Local people can travel to Kenya and participate in Farmers Helping Farmers projects there. Farmers Helping Farmers also help local Kenyan artists by taking back handmade crafts to sell in PEI and use all proceeds for projects.

Mosquito Nets for Africa Two years ago, Village Feast began fundraising to purchase mosquito nets for malaria prevention. Since then, 300 nets have been donated and used by the school children and their families in rural Kenya. This year our goal is to purchase 500 nets.

Which local charities does Village Feast support?

Souris Food Bank An annual donation of $10, from Village Feast goes directly to our local food bank. We are told that without the Village Feast, our local food bank would not be able to operate and provide for its clients. No one wants to have a food bank in their community but as long as there is a need, we will be there to support it.

Coats for Kids M any children go without proper winter attire due to lack of money. Coats for Kids receives an annual donation ensuring all local children have proper winter clothing such as winter coats, snow pants, and winter boots.

New Mothers Cooking Classes An annual donation to promote home-prepared, wholesome meals solutions for new families.

About the grilling event

The 2015 Village Feast will take place on Sunday, July 5 th from 3-6pm. Chef Michael Smith will lead a cook team of volunteers to prepare a three course meal prepared from as much local product as possible.

The menu will consist of Seafood chowder Grilled AAA sirloin steak Steamed lobster Brown butter mashed potatoes Fresh picked local salad Strawberry rhubarb dessert with fresh whipped cream

We hold an oyster shuck-off to raise money for mosquito nets for Kenyan children.

Location: The beautifully groomed field beside the EK Sportsplex. We rent a local mobile kitchen. Very fortunate and thankful to have CF Gagetown MKT/chowder support for many years We borrow lots of grilling equipment and there is refrigeration on site. The Eastern Kings Sportsplex is our Plan B rain backup for bad weather

What about tickets? We expect to sell 1300 tickets. We offer ticket sales to local businesses. When a business buys tickets, it allows them to give twice; they not only support the cause but they can give them away in a gesture of appreciation to their employees, suppliers, or customers. Tickets are also available to the general public. They are $45.00 and $55.00 with Lobster and are available by contacting Harbourview Training Center.

There is so much more to the Feast than the Feast itself! Our prep day is busy with lots of slicing, dicing and camaraderie. We have many dedicated local volunteers. Ending with a volunteer reception on Fortune River with some special culinary treats for everyone.

Supporting local and global charities whose goals are to improve the lives of children in our world.

A few shots from Village Feast 2013