The Lost Kitchen/Waldo County Bounty Partnership Raises $325,000
WALDO COUNTY, MAINE, May 27, 2021 -- Waldo County Bounty (WCB) and The Lost Kitchen (TLK) partnership raises more than $325,000 to help provide much-needed access to locally-grown foods for people experiencing food insecurity in Waldo County, Maine.
WCB is a grassroots hunger-relief initiative established at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. TLK is a restaurant in Freedom, Maine, owned and operated by James Beard nominated-chef, Erin French, that has been described as one of the “hardest-to-book restaurants in America.”
The WCB/TLK partnership launched on May 18 and offered hopeful customers early access to the TLK reservation system in exchange for a small donation. TLK has now made its reservation system available to everyone. Diners can still make donations to WCB as part of the process by visiting www.waldocountybounty.me/tlk-2021-reservations. Please note, donations do not guarantee a reservation.
“We at The Lost Kitchen believe in the power of community, coming together, and supporting each other during challenging times. Our restaurant would not exist without it, and this year we are thrilled to be working with Waldo County Bounty to help address food insecurity in our county,” said Erin French, chef and owner at TLK. “Through our reservation system, our customers came together in a meaningful and powerful way to help ensure that good fresh food will be accessible to all. The response has been overwhelming, and I am simply humbled by the outpouring of generosity from all the The Lost Kitchen friends across the country and around the world who helped make such a huge difference here in our rural community.”
WCB is committed to improving access to locally grown food in a rural Maine county where poverty and food insecurity were already widespread before the pandemic. At the center of its programming, the initiative raises funds to buy crops from local farmers and distributes the fresh fruits and vegetables to food pantries in Waldo County. Additionally, WCB leads gleaning, garden education, and neighbor-to-neighbor produce exchanges.
TLK buys produce from many of the same local farms currently working with WCB, and the funds raised from the partnership will support both local farmers and people experiencing food insecurity. Specifically, WCB will use the funds to execute its mission and find ways to make its programs more impactful, effective, and sustainable.
“We are so grateful to partner with The Lost Kitchen and Erin, who has been a long-time supporter of local farms in our part of Maine,” said Colleen Hanlon-Smith, WCB leadership team member. “We hope the partnership will draw more attention to the ways in which rural communities are pulling together and using local farming networks to improve food security.”
“Our grassroots programming relies on individual donations like these,” said Mary Leaming, WCB leadership team member. “Now, thanks to compassionate donors from all over the world, our clients who face barriers to good nutrition will be able to receive fresh, high-quality ingredients grown by nearby farms.”
About Waldo County Bounty
Waldo County Bounty is a hunger relief initiative working to improve access to locally-grown foods for people experiencing food insecurity in Waldo County, Maine. Our programs include:
1. Direct purchasing from local farms for food pantries and soup kitchens, a win-win for farmers and food assistance clients, orchestrated by Daybreak Growers Alliance in partnership with Waldo County farmers;
2. Support to gleaning activities, as executed by Unity Barn Raisers’ Veggies For All program, which redirects surplus food from farms and food businesses and distributes it through established hunger relief programs; and
3. Providing material, educational, and coordination resources for gardeners so they may improve personal food security, share with their neighbors, or donate excess to hunger relief programs. This is delivered by UMaine Cooperative Extension, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, and MainersTogether Waldo County. To this end, we have established 13 public self-service ‘Give and Take Tables’ across the county for neighbor-to-neighbor, zero-contact, zero-stigma produce exchange.
In addition to our major program areas, we have helped administer the USDA’s Farms to Families commodity program (in partnership with Waldo County Emergency Management Agency, Belfast Soup Kitchen, Waldo Community Action Partners). We have also meaningfully convened cross-county food system planning functions by organizing network meetings with key individuals, organizations, and businesses working in all relevant sectors of Waldo County and created a compassionate, concise, actionable narrative around food system issues for local people.
About The Lost Kitchen
Founded in 2014, The Lost Kitchen is a seasonal farm-to-table restaurant located in Freedom, Maine. Owned and operated by Erin French, The Lost Kitchen sources almost all of its produce and protein from Maine-based farmers, growers, and providers and is committed to supporting local businesses and communities. Utilizing a simple postcard reservation system, TLK serves an innovative yet unpretentious multi-course dinner attracting diners from all over the world and serving up to 48 people in a single seating each night.