PUBLIC MEAL

PUBLIC MEAL is a local people gathering, info spreading, micro-granting, healthy food event in the Village of Alfred in western New York.

Each PUBLIC MEAL has a different theme and menu, but there are always people gathered around a table conversing about local issues, food, culture and ruralness. The menu is driven by the donations from local gardeners, organic farms, and foragers. And our local harvest is rich! We’ve been lucky enough to have local flour, butter, cheese, nuts, fruits, veggies and even a huge puffball mushroom donated!

A month before each meal, we ask artists, educators, and activists to submit proposals for one micro-grant from the meal’s proceeds. At the event, the voting audience listens while the proposals are introduced. Votes are cast, and the winner is announced after dessert.