From College Bookstore down to Habibi’s Restaurant, 41 8-foot tables will be set up on Court Street on Saturday for the first Bounty on the Bricks, an event to raise awareness and money for food insecurity in Athens.
“The theme of our event is to have it be a harvest meal to celebrate our community,” said Susan Urano, executive director of Athens Foundation. “The idea was to do it in the most central location we could find.”
Cheryl Sylvester, chair of the Bounty on the Bricks, thought of the idea when she saw a photo of a gathering in Jonesborough, Tenn., on a main street, which she said looked exactly like Court Street. In Jonesborough, a fundraiser is held every year for their farmers market.
All money raised will go into a new grant program through the Athens Foundation called “Bounty in the Pantries,” which Sylvester said will benefit all local food pantries.
“Some will be spent educating how to stock healthier foods for their population,” she said. “We have the potential to raise $75,000 in one night.”
Tickets for the event cost $75 per person and were actually oversold, bringing the total to 328 guests. the Athens Foundation has partners who will match what it raises, which is estimated at $25,000. Funds from other sponsors and money from beer and wine sales before dinner will also be donated to the cause.
The sales from the Athena Cinema’s Thursday showing of
A Place at the Table, a documentary on hunger in America narrated by Jeff Bridges, will also go to the grant pool.
All of the food will be locally sourced, which was important to Chef Alfonso Contrisciani, dean of hospitality at Hocking College and one of 67 certified master chefs in the nation, who will prepare the meal alongside his students.
“It’s a perfect fit for me and thought it would be great to get the students and our college involved because it’s all about farm-to-table — utilizing fresh local products,” Chef Alfonso said. “We’re showcasing the fine products from the agricultural families of the Athens and Hocking area. … I look at myself as a jeweler who is just polishing a perfectly cut diamond.”
He added that he is particularly excited for the slow-cooked barbecue brisket.
The event is expected to continue in future years because of what Sylvester said was an exciting and overwhelming response from the community.
“I certainly hope it brings awareness into food insecurity problems in our county,” she said. “There’s a lot of it. These 328 people are fortunate to give $75 per ticket. $75 to many people in our county is two weeks of groceries. … Hopefully it will get bigger and better and hopefully folks will start volunteering or donating to food pantries.”
mg986611@ohiou.edu
