DBAC Sponsors Food Drive for Nov. 18th Artwalk
Warm your spirits and get in the mood for this holiday season at the next Downtown Bangor Artwalk from 5pm to 9pm on November 18th. To spread the gift of giving this season, the Downtown Bangor Arts Collaborative will be sponsoring a one-night food drive during the event to help in the fight against hunger. Artists and participating locations will be collecting non-perishable items to be donated to the Shaw House. This is a great opportunity to help raise food for those in need this time of year. The process is simple: bring a nutritious non-perishable food item to the Artwalk with you and leave it at any listed location on the Artwalk map in the receptacle provided.
A good place to start the tour is the busy 170 Park Street building. Here you can watch a felting or spinning demonstration by local Fiber Artist Jodi Clayton. Michael Shyka will be at work in his studio creating hand painted silk textiles. Upstairs, take the opportunity to meet John Vincent who experiments with artistic methods of letterpress printing and will have a press on site. Russ D’Alessio will fill the walls with many of his vibrant acrylic paintings.
On your way down the hill, stop at Norumbega Hall and visit the University of Maine Museum of Art to catch one of the following exhibits: The Global Lens, by Dominic Chavez; Studio Life by Carlo Pittore and Constructions by Abe Ajay.
Central Street will be full of activity with artists inspired by nature at 31 Central Street, including Bird Home creator David Dail – hosted by photographer Cheryl Daigle – bringing Maine’s outdoors inside. Downstairs, The Briar Patch will host Ben Bishop, artist of Donn Fendler’s new book/graphic novel, Lost Trail. Finally, Artists at 9 Central Street such as Page Eastman, JoAnne Houlsen, Tree Heckler and John LeBlanc invite you to experience painting, fiber arts and fine art photography.
Another aspect of the DBAC food drive is a real focus on “giving the good stuff,” which encourages people to donate the kinds of foods that have the most impact at a pantry—such as peanut butter, canned tuna fish, and canned vegetables—rather than less nutritious snack items or even simply those foods from the back of the cabinet that rarely get eaten. According to health experts, meat and poultry are nutrient dense foods and can be especially helpful to people who need more protein including youth, pregnant women and the elderly. So bring nutritious, non-perishable food. Here’s a list of suggestions from the Shaw House:
Canned Meals: Stews, Soups, Tuna, Ravioli, Lasagna, etc.
Peanut Butter, Canned Vegetables
Grains: Cereal, Rice, Pasta and Dried Beans
Fruits: Fruit cups, Dried Fruit, Applesauce, 100% Juice and Juice Boxes
Rice, Pasta and Dried Beans
Kid-Friendly Items: Granola Bars, Popcorn, Graham or Animal Crackers, Fat-free/Sugar-free Pudding Cups
Hygiene Items: Toothpaste, Feminine Products, Shaving Items, Hand Sanitizer, Soap, etc.
Paper Products: Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, etc.
The DBAC’s food drive efforts are a great example of what’s happening nationwide notes DBAC Secretary Sally Gilbert: “More so now than ever, people are stepping up to serve their communities, and are realizing that hunger is a reality in every town, not only in our most challenged communities. Anyone attending the Artwalk, its members and participants should be proud of this effort.”
The November Artwalk is a great way to celebrate the spirit within the community, its creativity and the ability to give to those who are in need.
View a map of participating artists and locations.
Supporters can track the success of the DBAC’s food drive at: www.facebook.com/DowntownBangorArtsCollaborative.
For more information, please contact Jodi Clayton at 207-299-6716 or onelupine@gmail.com.
