December , 2008

The potluck series is currently taking place four times a year... our next gathering won't happen until Spring, so come on out and celebrate!

Please note that we are scheduled for MONDAY, not our usual Sunday time slot. Hope to see you there!

May 2008 FUNDRAISER

Dine out, for Africa!


[Postscript: Hooray! We raised over $600 with our vegan lasagna dinner to contribiute to Billy's efforts!]
Sunday, May 25th, 2008. Instead of our regular potluck this month, the series is hosting an informal pasta dinner in the back hall, in support of a Day for Africa, and the Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF). Reservations required!
Upon hearing former United Nations Envoy for Aids in Africa, Stephen Lewis, speak in Nanaimo last year youth activist Billy Strachan was moved to support the good work the SLF does to ease the pain of HIV/AIDS in Africa at the grassroots level. It provides care to women who are ill and struggling to survive; assists orphans and other AIDS affected children; supports heroic grandmothers who almost single-handedly care for their orphan grandchildren; and supports associations of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Billy came up with the idea to involve local businesses and volunteers in a fundraising initiative he calls, A Day for Africa, on the first Saturday of each month from March through June. He has accepted Denman’s invitation to tell us about his endeavour at our own local fundraising dinner, the proceeds of which will be added to the check he can now looking forward to presenting Stephen Lewis himself in person, on June 27th in Courtenay. Billy didn’t know at the time he started his Comox Valley-wide, A Day in Africa project, that Lewis would end up being anywhere near our area of the world at this time. Neither did he know that his youthful idealism would inspire so many folks to rise to the occasion and support his own vision to collectively make a difference! You can also read about Billy in this month’s In Focus Magazine in the article by Laura Busheiken.

Tickets to the June Stephen Lewis event in Courtenay are now available at Abraxas Books on Denman ($30 adult or $15 student/youth.)
Denman’s Dineout for Africa gets underway at 6:00 pm in the BackHall, and will include a presentation by Billy Strachan about his project. Please make your dinner reservation asap by calling 335-1209. ($15 adult, $8 youth)

April 2008

The Scoop on Soy

Controversial reports about soy have left many people confused about what to believe. If you are concerned about the safety of soy food products, or are simply curious to learn more about this excellent source of dietary nutrition, bring your questions to Denman Island's next community vegan potluck event, Sunday, April 20th.

After dinner, Denman author and vegan chef Bryanna Clark Grogan along with Shin Meido Miso's Susan-Marie Yoshihara will be happy to share their considerable knowledge on soy in an informal discussion geared to separating fact from fiction.

As always, food lovers of every persuasion are invited to participate in Denman's amazing monthly smorgasbords. Nothing fancy required- any 100% vegan entree, salad, dessert, or single item dish (free of eggs, dairy, honey and gelatin, please) is a suitable contribution.

Dinner gets underway at 6:30 pm in the Community Hall, just a short trip up the hill from the ferry landing. Admission is by donation (suggested $3 towards expenses). The Denman Community Potluck Series strives to be a scent-free gathering, out of consideration for individuals with chemical sensitivities. Please visit our main webpage at http://www.fireweed.ca/ for additional information.

March 2008

March is a popular time for ordering spring seeds, and this month’s community vegan potluck series honors our island’s status in principle as a GMO Crop Free Zone!

On the heals of Seedy Saturday, GreenPeace and our Comox Valley NO GMO’s Coalition are hosting an island wide strategy session on March 8th at the BCGEU building in Courtenay. Greenpeace and GE Free BC have declared March 11th GE Free Day in BC, and local activists will be collecting signatures in downtown Denman that day for a petition to make labelling of GE foods mandatory.

On Saturday, March 29th, the Community Garden Party Series invites everyone interested in supporting our local organic produce growers to pitch in for an hour or two at Rob and Vlasta Ulovec’s Apple Lane Orchard between 1 and 3 pm. And over the course of the month our brand new potato co-op, SPUDS, will be sprouting in it’s chosen home at the Hermitage on Denman Road (now is the time to sign up and encourage other new members!)

Last, but not least, the Community Vegan Potluck scheduled for 6:30 pm in the Back Hall on Sunday, March 16th, will feature both a seed swap and the award-winning European documentary, Unnatural Selection.

Featuring such internationally renowned activists as Vandana Shiva, Andrew Kimbell, and Canada’s very own Percy Schmeiser, this fascinating educational film does an excellent job of exposing several of the alarming consequences of genetic engineering on three continents.

The future of planetary biodiversity will certainly be influenced by consumers with the privilege of choice, so thanks for coming on out to help further public education about these important issues. Unnatural Selection is produced by Jeffrey Smith, director of the Institute for Responsible Technology (Iowa), and author of the world’s bestselling book on Genetically Modified foods, Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating.

Last month’s film, Saved by Sun, is available for home viewing for a nominal donation the Potluck Series will contribute to REDI’s solar panel project for the Hall.

As always, food-lovers of every persuasion are invited to our 6:30 pm dinner in the DI Backhall, and any animal-friendly entrée, salad or dessert that all may share, is an appropriate donation (egg, dairy, honey and gelatin-free, please.) And thanks for helping us maintain a scent-free event for the comfort of chemically sensitive individuals. Did you know that DI Hardware carries scent-free laundry and other cleaning products!?

February, 2008

Saved by the Sun

Sunday, Feb. 24th,

DI Back Hall

In support of REDI, Renewable Energy on Denman Island, the community vegan potluck series is planning to show an award winning 2007 Nova documentary, all about solar power. Any extra donations will go towards supporting REDI’s initiative to outfit our community hall with solar panels. “Saved by the Sun” is a fascinating, exciting film you won’t want to miss!

And YES, it has arrived on time for showing this Sunday...we were a little concerned it had been held up at the border but our worries are over now! For further information about this fabulous documentary, visit http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/solar/ . I'll also post the url for a sneak preview of the film under the Links column on the right hand side of this potluck blogspot.

For those who can afford to help this fundraiser along, we're encouraging a $5 donation for tonite's screening, but as always it's 'pay what you can'. If you can't make it for dinner but still want to see the film, the best time to show up is probably around 7:30pm. Not that we would want to discourage anyone from enjoying a great vegan community meal that helps reduce our collective ecological footprint!

As always, our event is designated scent free for the comfort of chemically sensitive individuals. Thanks for your support!

JANUARY, 2008

Everyone is invited to come on out and participate in our first community vegan potluck of the new year on Sunday, January 27th!

Why would you want to attend if you aren't vegan or vegetarian?

-Most omnivores enjoy a wide range of foods, and our 100% plant-based
feasts provide a wonderful way for food lovers of every persuasion to
come together for the enjoyment of a nutritious, hearty meal that
excludes no one.

- Our potlucks help build community,

-welcome new islanders,

-provide an almost monthly venue
for single folks and families to mingle
with friends and neighbours,

-and the opportunity to gather new
recipe ideas for treading more lightly
on the planet with our daily food choices.