Every seat was filled at Veggies to Table’s Harvest Dinner at The Contented Sole on Saturday, Oct. 17. More than 120 guests shared a harvest-inspired meal and paired wines overlooking the ocean. By the end of the night, the gathering raised $22,097 to help the farm build the infrastructure needed to put more nourishing food on tables across Midcoast Maine.

It was truly an evening to savor. Beth Polhemus and Warren Busteed generously opened their waterfront restaurant, welcoming guests for a delicious dining experience and donating all of the food and service so that more of the money raised could go straight to the farm. Veggies to Table is deeply grateful for their continued wholehearted support.

After expenses, approximately $20,000 will go directly toward a new wash/pack station and tool and equipment sheds at the farm. These essential infrastructure projects will help the Veggies to Table team and volunteers get more done, more efficiently, so they can grow and donate more produce and joyful flowers with the time and hands they have. An abundant raffle celebrated the best of the Midcoast, thanks to prizes donated by many local businesses and friends.

A special thanks goes to the volunteer and supporter who donated the grand prize: a week’s stay in Paris! You know who you are! Raffle donors included Cabot Lodge Waldoboro, Perch Cafe & Bakery, Waldo Theatre, Bred in the Bone, Smashed Burgers & Brews, Beach Plum Company, The Tipsy Butler, Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shops, Midcoast Kayak, Panacea Maine, The Peaceful Pagan, Village Handcraft, Bird Gallery, Fiction Bookstore, Widener Company, Abacus Gallery, Log Cabin Shoes, Coastal Maine Popcorn, Mysterious Harbor Tours, Barter’s Island Bees, Southport Lavender, Tiffany White Photography, Susan Connery Designs, and Coffee By Design. Every guest who came to the table helped turn a shared meal into so many meals for neighbors in need. Thanks also go to the sponsors who contributed bubbly and paired wines, and to Allagash Brewing and Coffee By Design.

The dinner follows a $5,500 grant from Bangor Savings Bank toward the wash/pack station and sheds, adding to the growing community support for this essential project. These improvements will give staff and volunteers more time to do what they do best: grow beautiful, organic produce and flowers to share with neighbors in need.

Thanks to this generous community, Veggies to Table is well on its way to turning this dream into reality! To learn more about the project or find out how you can get involved, contact info@veggiestotable.org or call 207-390-9626.

About Veggies to Table: Everything Veggies to Table grows, they donate in collaboration with 35+ local partners, including food pantries, schools, summer lunch programs and hospitals—filling hungry stomachs and lifting spirits along the way. Since 2019, the organization has grown and donated more than 100,000 pounds of organic produce to communities throughout Midcoast Maine.