By Cecilia Nasmith
The cheque presentation at a recent Sunday service at Grafton's St. Andrew's United Church made it official – the 10th annual 100 Mile Diet event in September was a resounding success.
The 100-Mile Diet Event committee of St. Andrew's made the presentation of $1,053.25 to Northumberland Food For Thought coordinator Beth Kolisnyk, representing proceeds from the event – admission is free, but those attending are invited to make a donation at the door.
Held each September at the arena in Grafton, this event showcases food producers of all kinds who operate within a 100-mile area. It is named after a book written some years back exploring why it is important to support one's local producers, and the St. Andrew's committee has been spreading the word for a decade now.
Bev Silk, who has been involved with the event since its inception, reported that a typical year's gate brings in about $1,000 for Food For Thought to use in its school-nutrition programming (breakfast programs, snack bins and the like).
In recent years, these proceeds have been used to purchase apples from Moore's Orchards. Moore's owner Heidi Behan – a long-time exhibitor at the event – said this amount purchases between three and four bins of apples, and they always donate a little more on their own.
