Wednesday, December 9, 2009

new eats! hours

Please note that we have changed our hours of service - We now serve from 3pm - 6pm.
As always, please remember that all food is available for 'take out'. Please come and enjoy a meal with us or just stop by and pick up some food to take home - or to bring to a friend or neighbor!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

1600 meals and counting!

My how time flies when you’re having fun! That’s what the volunteers at Everybody Eats! were thinking as they set up to serve their 23rd weekly free community meal this past Monday.
The group, which is made up entirely of volunteers, prepares and serves a homemade, healthful meal free of charge each Monday at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church.

Their first meal was served on June 8th of this year and while attendance was initially sparse, it has grown considerably. To date, Everybody Eats! has served over 1600 individual meals to people from almost every town on Hancock County, and many from Knox and Washington Counties and beyond.
Everybody Eats! has utilized close to 40 volunteers who over the course of the last few months have logged nearly 870 hours preparing and serving the meals.

The meals are made possible by donations of food, services and money by local businesses and individuals in Ellsworth and the surrounding area. Recent sponsors include Rev. Jerry Stone, Finelli Pizza, Friends & Family Market, Loaves & Fishes, Maine Shellfish, Nostrano, What’s for Suppa? Food Pantry, and The Black House Community Garden.

As colder weather- and thus higher fuel bills- approaches, Everybody Eats! anticipates the need for a supplemental food source will increase dramatically as people struggle with the choice of heating their homes or buying food. The group plans to respond to this need by increasing the amount of food it prepares, but they too struggle with limited resources and encourage any and all individuals or businesses who wish to make a donation to contact Julia Ventresco, 207.667.4472 or email julia@onewomanstudio.com.

Volunteers are needed as well, and can be scheduled by calling Marian Wells, 207.667.6206 or email sagegirlmsw@aol.com.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

busy, busy, busy!

October has proven to be a busy month! Too busy to send out my usual EverybodyEats! update- my apologies!

Our meal last Monday was well attended as always- The menu consisted of Curried Carrot and Potato Soup, deviled eggs, bean and pasta salad, green salad, bread pudding and more!

Many thanks to Loaves and Fishes food pantry, Emmaus Center, Finelli's, and St. John/St. Andrew Church for donating the various ingredients that went into creating the meal.
The only purchase was a gallon of milk ($5.19) for the bread pudding. We made enough food to feed our usual 100 'customers', which means the total cost of each serving was a mere $.05!

Did I mention the 'we' consisted of myself, Julia Ventresco- and the amazing Claudette Werner? Yup, that's right- two of us put on a meal for 100 in a few (very) short hours! Due to a couple of our regular volunteers being out of town and one out sick, it was up to us to 'feed the masses'. If you had looked in on us that day you'd have just seen a blur- we were moving that fast. Thanks also to Claudette for her music mix that kept us jumping. Needless to say we were overjoyed to see the second shift volunteers come in that afternoon!

While the fact that we managed to pull off the meal while being so short handed (and live to tell about it!) is wonderful, the truth is we need more volunteers!
Our volunteers help with: food prep, light cooking/salad making, washing dishes, dining room set-up, serving/greeting and clean up. And we have a lot of fun too!
Please contact Marian Wells (667.6206) or Julia Ventresco (667.4472) to get signed up! We are also looking for an experienced cook who would like to be "chef for a day". No quantity cooking skills are required- I'll help you with that. Did I mention that it's fun?

Friday, September 18, 2009

our salad bowl runneth over

In addition to our usual fare of soup, bread, and cheese, our meals this summer have been made more complete with the addition of choice selections of garden fresh lettuces and greens from the Victory Garden at St. John's and St. Andrew's churches in S.W. Harbor, Maine.
The gardens have been lovingly tended by Pamela and Cassandra and we all thank them for their generosity and their on-going contributions to our meals!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

EE closed for Labor Day

In observance of the Labor Day holiday, Monday September 7, Everybody Eats! will not be holding its free community meal that day. We will resume serving meals on Monday, September 14.


The Simmering Pot in Blue Hill, Maine will be serving a free meal that day (and every Monday) from 3:30-6:30pm. The meal takes place at the Congregational Church at the foot of Tenney Hill (the end of Main St.)


As always are looking for volunteers to help with all aspects of the Everybody Eats! free meal program. Please contact us for more information about the meals, to make a donation, or to volunteer, call 667-4472 or email everybodyeats4free@gmail.com.


Monday, August 17, 2009

hot stuff!

It was in the eighty's today in Downeast Maine, but that didn't stop our fearless crew (Claudette, Frank and Julia) from cranking up both ovens and 3 burners, to turn out another stellar meal!
With much donated food and an abundance of ambition, we BBQ'd 40 pounds of chicken, created 3 salads- potato, corn and tossed, veggies and fruit platters (both with dips- one sweet, one savory), and with the addition of bread, cheese, and a few sweets, it was truly a feast!
Our evening staff and clean-up crew this evening consisted of Ron, Valerie and Diane- thanks so much for getting the kitchen back to its original pristine state (and sorry about those baked-on, caked-on, stuck-on pans... ;)

Thursday, August 6, 2009

chef d'jour

Many thanks to our 'guest chef' Diane, who filled in for Julia at our August 3rd meal.
A record number of people were served a delicious meal (fish/corn chowder, I believe), with many 'to-go' orders too!
Thanks also to our dedicated staff of volunteers who gather food, prep, cook, set-up, serve and clean up after our meals. It's a long day, but we always have a good time!
If you would like to volunteer and join in the fun, please email us for more info.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

our one month anniversary!

Everybody Eats! held its fourth weekly free community meal at St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church on Monday, June 29th. The group, which is made up entirely of volunteers, prepares and serves a homemade, healthful meal free of charge each Monday from 3 to 7 pm. All members of the community are welcome to come and dine and socialize, or pick up a meal to enjoy at home. They also encourage folks to pick up a meal to take to a friend or neighbor who might not be able to attend.

Everybody Eats! came together when a group of individuals decided to address the growing problem of hunger and food insecurity in the Ellsworth and surrounding area. Providing one meal each week, as a start, the group hopes to expand to several days a week.

Working alongside local food pantries and others, the group meets regularly to plan the continuance of weekly meals and to discuss future plans for outreach and help.

The meals are made possible by donations of food, services and money by local businesses and individuals in Ellsworth and the surrounding area. This month's sponsors include Maine Shellfish, Loaves & Fishes, Finelli Pizza, Downeast Health Services, the Emmaus Center, King Hill Farm, and Benbow’s Coffee. Start-up funds were generously provided by St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church and the Ellsworth Lioness Club.


Special thanks to St. Dunstan's Church for making available their kitchen and Parish hall. Also, many thanks are due to the volunteers who prepare, serve and clean up after the meals, as well as those who collect donations and publicize the meals throughout the community.


For more information about the meals, to make a donation, or to volunteer, please email everybodyeats4free@gmail.com.