Table of Plenty: Dialogue on how to increase food security for all

The public is invited to participate in Table of Plenty, a Saturday, Sept. 22 event to celebrate the bounty of the harvest season by coming together to share food and conversation about the challenges of food insecurity and how we can work together to ensure there is plenty for everyone in our diverse community.

The event, held at the Montgomery Hall Park Front Lawn beginning at 1 p.m., will be an opportunity to connect with others, learn from people working on the front lines, and consider what more can be done.

The event is organized by Building Bridges for the Greater Good in partnership with Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, Project Grows and Allegheny Mountain Institute. It is part of an on-going series of community dialogues that Building Bridges has convened over the past few years, including the annual ‘Breaking Bread’ events.

After some socializing time, there will be program featuring spoken word poet Lemuel Robertson and short presentations by representatives of the partner organizations, speaking to the key challenges they see in our community. There will then be a series of themed ‘tent talks.’ Participants can choose which of the topics they would like to focus on.

The themes will include questions such as: What are the causes and patterns of food insecurity in our area – and how does it link with other challenges people are facing? How can we increase access to healthy food for our community’s elders who are experiencing hunger? And for families and young people facing food insecurity? How can people become more empowered to access or grow healthy foods? And how can we encourage restorative mealtimes through eating together, as families and as communities?

The ideas generated during these tent talks will be brought back to the whole group and participants will be encouraged to develop ways to work together to take forward any strategies that emerge.

Participants will also be able to make an immediate impact to address hunger by taking home a bag of food donated by the partner organizations to share with someone in need.

Everyone is invited. Come as you are able and, if possible, bring snacks to share and lawn chairs. Participants can also donate food from their gardens or pantries to be bundled into bags to be taken home to share with others.