Longtime readers of the Scene know we’re big fans of the Nashville Food Project, thanks to their incredible multifaceted efforts to aid members of the community who have difficulty accessing food. The board and staff of the organization thought long and hard about their biggest annual fundraiser, Nourish, and if they could safely pull off a gala dinner and auction featuring contributions by local chef friends. In the end, they made the difficult decision to simply change the event into a dedicated online fundraising campaign.
They set aside a week to solicit direct donations to aid their efforts to support Nashvillians through food recovery and distribution programs and through the establishment of neighborhood gardens. The campaign officially concluded at the end of last month, but I’m sure they would still welcome your 100 percent tax-deductible donation at the Nourish giving website if you’re so inclined.
The Nashville Food Project is celebrating its 10th anniversary as an organization this year (read culture editor Erica Ciccarone's recent cover story about that here), and they had big plans for a community picnic to invite supporters into their facility to see their good works. Then, Delta damn it.
So the big 10th Anniversary Picnic Party will also have to go virtual. It’ll still be fun, I promise. On Sunday, Sept. 26, beginning at 5:30 p.m., the cook team at NFP will recognize the chefs and farmers who have helped support the organization over the past decade by preparing take-home picnic baskets that can be picked up at the facility at 5904 California Ave. in the Nations.
The meals will be accompanied by beer and peach seltzer courtesy of Lipman Brothers, and the first 75 baskets will include lovely cloth napkins created by the Sewing Training Academy/Catholic Charities, which is located at McGruder Family Resource Center in North Nashville, where NFP stewards one of the community gardens. While you enjoy your meal from the comfort of your home, the virtual event will stream online with live bluegrass from Justin Hiltner and the premiere of the Nashville Food Project’s 10th anniversary video showing the evolution of their work through the years.
Tickets to stream the Picnic Party are just $20, and the picnic basket add-on for two people is just $50 more. Buy yours at the event website today!
