When Liz Levey-Pruyn handed the check to the elderly couple who operated Footprints Food Pantry, they burst into tears. Standing among the sparsely stocked shelves and a broken-down freezer, they glimpsed a bright ray of hope for the first time in months. This torrent of gratitude would be the first of many to come in Levey-Pruyn’s philanthropic work with Plates for Change (PFC), a local charitable organization striving to end childhood hunger on the Seacoast.
The blight of childhood hunger pulls at Levey-Pruyn’s heartstrings. Thankful for her own “blessed childhood” that never included anxiety about where her next meal would come from, this PFC corporate sponsor co-chair and longtime board member yearns to help these most vulnerable victims of food insecurity. “The children are our next generation,” she says. “Not having what they need to develop limits what they can accomplish as adults.”
The fight to spread awareness is what consumes her fellow corporate sponsor co-chair Beth Lindquist. The Seacoast’s comely façade of comfortable living conceals an incongruous amount of food insecurity. Lindquist realizes the community can’t help if they don’t know the problem exists. “People need to see this massive need,” she says. “It is hidden, but it is there.”
Before its rebirth as Plates for Change in 2019, this noble organization began as part of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. In 1994, ardent volunteers joined forces with local restaurant owners equally passionate about this cause. The altruistic alliance held its first fundraiser that June, the successful Portsmouth Taste of the Nation, a huge dinner party where local chefs showcased their culinary talents, and beer and wine vendors dispensed their finest beverages. Little Portsmouth proudly surpassed major cities like New York and Chicago to become the most successful Taste of the Nation per capita in the country.
To the community’s delight, the popular event became an annual tradition, but as the national nonprofit Share Our Strength grew, it exerted more control over the distribution of funds, limiting the amount raised for local grants. Determined to focus on local need, the Seacoast volunteers broke away to pursue their own mission.
Today’s Plates for Change holds a spectacular yearly event, the Taste, touted as a “party with a purpose.” True to its objective, the fundraiser’s profits remain in the local community. This year’s sumptuous culinary benefit at Strawberry Banke on June 18 marks its 30th anniversary and celebrates raising over 2.5 million dollars to feed hungry children since 1994.
Local grant recipients like Gather Food Pantry, Footprints Food Pantry, and End 68 Hours of Hunger reap the rewards of these fundraisers. All grant recipients specifically target childhood food insecurity, but PFC’s mission encompasses more than just emergency food. The organization also invests in educating families on healthy eating and cooking nutritious meals on a limited budget. They also increase access to federal programs like summer meals for schoolchildren in need.
Bolstering the dedicated all-volunteer board of women at the heart of Plates for Change, generous corporate sponsors donate money to enable the annual event. Local in-kind sponsors provide products like ice and linens, or services like electrical work. The lavish dinner would, of course, not be possible without the all-important vendors: the restaurants and beverage companies.
The impact of Plates for Change on the community is tremendous. The tearful gratitude of local food pantries and other charities speaks volumes. The funds PFC raises empower these grant recipients to feed countless children who would otherwise go hungry. With food insecurity affecting learning ability, brain health, and emotional development, these kids now have a fighting chance to reach their true potential.
“The children are our next generation. Not having what they need to develop limits what they can accomplish as adults.”