By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green’s restaurants and the Brown Bag Food Project are all in the business of feeding people.
So it just made sense that the first Restaurant Week in the city raised money to stock the shelves at the food pantry.
On Tuesday, the final tally was in and a giant check for $6,500 was presented to Brown Bag representatives Peg Holland and Brenna Lawson.
Holland began calculating in her mind which shelves needed to be stocked first with the donation. Top on the list was meat.
“We’re having such a hard time buying meat from the food banks,” she said. That means meat must be purchased at more expensive retail prices.
Next on Holland’s list were hygiene items – specifically large diapers, pull-ups, and children’s hygiene items.
And further down the list was pet food, she said.
“We’ve been hit really hard,” Holland said.
July was particularly tough, with 331 families – totally about 1,200 individuals – seeking food items. None were duplicates since people are permitted to use the pantry’s services once a month.
One day last month, Brown Bag hit a new high, serving 42 families in 1½ hours. Each month, families are given eight to 10 grocery bags of goods, including perishable items, non-perishable items, and hygiene products.
Many of the recurring donations to the food pantry have dropped off recently, Holland said. So the check from Restaurant Week participants was especially welcome, she said.
“This is very helpful to the people of Wood County,” she said. Eventually, the Brown Bag board would like to move the pantry to a larger space. But the board, for now, has to focus on feeding hungry families.
“We’re keeping afloat with what we’ve got,” Holland said.
Tim Emmerich and Ardy Gonyer, owners of Call of the Canyon and Easystreet Cafe, and the restaurateurs behind Bowling Green’s first Restaurant Week, were thrilled that 21 businesses got onboard and the event raised $6,500 for Brown Bag.
The designated week had three goals – draw deal-seeking diners to Bowling Green eating establishments, drum up business during a slower summer week, and dedicate a portion of the profits to Brown Bag Food Project – which is also in the business of feeding people.
Some establishments offered deals on certain menu items, and all donated 10% of the profits from those sales to the food pantry. Some restaurants reported increased sales during the week.
George Strata, who with his wife, Amy, owns Beckett’s and SamB’s, said the worthy cause helped build enthusiasm among businesses and customers for the event.
“We enjoy doing these kinds of things,” he said. “And it brought out people knowing they were doing a great thing.”
Grant and Veronica Mierzejewski, owners of Clay Pot, shared the community spirit of the project.
“This is something we want to do – it’s great for the community,” Grant Mierzejewski said. “Hopefully it grows every year.”
Gonyer and Emmerich fully expect to make this an annual event in Bowling Green.
“We definitely really want more people included,” Gonyer said.
“I think we got some lessons learned,” Emmerich said.
Some of those lessons could lead to a dedicated website next year, kickoff tickets, and restaurant passports.
Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mary Hinkelman said she is thrilled with the prospect of Restaurant Week becoming an annual event.
“You know me and collaborating,” she said. “It’s better to collaborate, than to keep it to yourself.”
