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Blowing Rock Ale House & Brewery Hosts Benefit Dinner for F.A.R.M. Cafe, 4 Courses, Brew Samples Feb. 25

The Blowing Rock Ale House & Brewery opened last summer. Photo by Ken Ketchie
The Blowing Rock Ale House & Brewery opened last summer. Photo by Ken Ketchie

Feb. 7, 2014. Blowing Rock Ale House & Brewery will host a festive four course dinner on Tuesday, Feb. 25 beginning with hors d’oeuvres and cash bar at 6:00 p.m., followed by dinner seating at 6:30 p.m.  The special evening will benefit Boone’s F.A.R.M. (Feed All Regardless of Means) Cafe.  

The dinner will feature four courses specially prepared by Ale House chefs. Each course will be paired with a unique sampling of Blowing Rock Ale brew, hand selected by the brew masters to compliment the meal. Only 36 tickets are available for this special evening of great food and great brews benefiting a great cause.

farm cafe newSince it opened in May 2012, F.A.R.M. Cafe, located at 617 W. King Street, has become a vital and unique feature of downtown Boone.    Each day an average of 75 people come to the café to enjoy a healthy and delicious meal made as much as possible from local ingredients.  

The Cafe is in a wonderful space that continues the Boone Drug lunch counter tradition of being a place to gather, meet, and mingle with the variety of people in downtown.  Guests include students, business people, university staff, faculty, tourists, families and those experiencing food insecurity and even homelessness. 

The Cafe is unique in the High Country in that nearly 20% of the people enjoying the wonderful food are either having their meal provided at no or low cost, or they are volunteering at the Cafe in exchange for their meal.  Others are enjoying daily options that include: soup, entrée, sides, salad, drink and dessert have chosen to pay more than the cost of the meal. 

Donating more than the cost of the meal and/or participating in F.A.R.M. Cafe fundraising efforts, such as the Blowing Rock Ale House & Brewery Benefit Dinner, is what makes it possible for others to eat a healthy meal even when they may not have the funds.   Since its opening, over 36,000 meals have been served at the Cafe.  Of total meals served at F.A.R.M. Cafe, 11% were given to restaurant and garden volunteers. 

F.A.R.M. Café’s vision is to eliminate hunger in the High Country.  The mission is to build a healthy and inclusive community by providing high quality and delicious meals produced from local sources, served in a restaurant where everybody eats, regardless of means – Feed All Regardless of Means. 

According to the the 2013 Map the Meal Gap Study (feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-studies/map-the-meal-gap.aspx) North Carolina’s food insecurity rate is 19.3 percent. Twenty Seven percent, or 38,000 of WNC children live in food insecure households. The USDA defines food insecurity as the lack of access to adequate food resulting from the lack of money and other resources.  Additional research from the latest US Census Bureau American Community Survey shows that:

  • 1 out of 4 of North Carolina’s children lives in poverty. (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey Profile. Data released Sept. 2012)
  • Over half of North Carolina single mothers with children under the age of 5 live in poverty.
  • 14.7% people in North Carolina received FNS (Food Stamp) assistance in the past 12 months.
  • Nearly 1 in 10 (9.7 ) of North Carolina senior citizens (over 65) is living in poverty – 10.9 of our seniors.

In addition to getting great food and great brews on what promises to be a wonderful evening in Blowing Rock, all those who buy the $100 tickets for the dinner on February 25 will be helping to feed 5 people at F.A.R.M. Cafe struggling with food insecurity. Also, half of your ticket cost is tax-deductible.   As a thank you, every guest will receive a completed F.A.R.M. Cafe’s Frequent Donor Card (signifying a donation of $50 beyond the cost of a meal at the Cafe), good for redemption for a discount at one of six local business sponsors.

Tickets for the F.A.R.M. Cafe Benefit Dinner on February 25 at the Blowing Rock Ale House & Brewery can be purchased at F.A.R.M. Cafe.  Only 36 tickets will be available for this special evening of Great Food and Great Brews for a Good Cause, so make sure to get yours while they’re still available!

For those who are unable to participate in the Ale House Benefit Dinner for F.A.R.M. Cafe there are other events coming up on the calendar including a Real Great Party at Harvest House on April 4.  Each weekday people can also help alleviate hunger in the High Country through donating extra for their meal at the café or joining the wonderful group of volunteers at the café or the Garden Spot who help make it possible for F.A.R.M. Café to Feed All Regardless of Means.