FARMINGTON – The 11th annual Maurer Meals weekend will take place from Friday, Oct. 16 and Saturday, Oct. 17 at participating restaurants in Wilton, Farmington, Rumford, Skowhegan, and several other central Maine towns.
During the Maurer Meals weekend, supporting restaurants offer special local food menu items and donate a portion of the proceeds to the Justin A. Maurer Memorial Scholarship fund at the University of Maine Farmington.
Organizers believe that enthusiasm for local, healthful, sustainably-raised and gathered foods among area residents has grown so strong that this year’s fundraising event will be a record success.
The program and the scholarship were established by the family of Justin Maurer, a 2004 High Honors graduate of UMF’s Community Health Program who was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2005. During his academic career, Justin devoted his energies to promoting the development and awareness of local farming activity and the benefits of a local food economy to human and environmental health. The scholarship is awarded annually to a Community Health student with the purpose of perpetuating Justin’s vision and carrying forward his commitment to holistic community health.
“Justin was a supporter of the small farm in Maine, and he recognized the necessity of producing food without poisoning the earth or our bodies,” said Gary Maurer of Leeds. “We thought this project might be a good way to carry on his beliefs and honor his legacy.”
Though chiefly intended to benefit students, the program is also appreciated by both UMF faculty and the participating restaurants. UMF Community Health Instructor Denise Boothby calls Maurer Meals “a grassroots community health effort that has encouraged a change of philosophy in our nutrition classes, toward emphasizing the myriad health benefits of local food.”
“It’s a great cause that sits well with what we do and gives us an opportunity to show off what our local farmers can do. And it’s fun, too,” said Tom Marcellino, co-owner of Calzolaio Pasta Company in Wilton.
Participating restaurants observe the event in individualized ways on varied schedules, and some require reservations. For information about their specials for the weekend, contact the resaurants directly.
This year’s participants include The Calzolaio Pasta Company in Wilton (645-9500); The Homestead Kitchen, Bar and Bakery (778-6162), The Greenwood Dining Room (778-2397), The Stone Hearth Café (778-3755), and UMF Dining Services (778-7360) in Farmington; LaFleur’s Restaurant (897-2117) in Jay; The Sedgley Place (946-5990) in Greene; Brian’s Bistro (364-3300) in Rumford; The Bankery (474-2253), Heritage House (474-5100), Kel-Mat Cafe (474-0200), RFGH Cafe (474-2381), and The Pickup (474-0708) in Skowhegan; Cafe Nomad (739-2249) in Norway; She Doesn’t Like Guthries (376-3344) and Olde Mill Tavern (583-9077) in Harrison.
For more information about the Maurer Meals Project, contact Gary Maurer at 524-2060 or visit the website, www.maurermeals.org, or the Maurer Meals Facebook page.
