The traditional Onaway family picnic featured a new twist this year: instead of families buying sub sandwiches or pizza by the slice, they were treated to a fresh, 100% locally sourced dinner - at no cost.
Thanks to generous donations and discounted pricing from local vendors like Fresh Fork Market, Firefly Farms, Woolf Farms, and AVI Foodsystems (who supplies food service to the Shaker schools) the menu featured fresh local greens, corn on the cob, smoked pulled chicken, and vegan black bean burgers. And for dessert? Several varieties of Mitchell’s ice cream.
Says Onaway principal Amy Davis, “One year ago, I asked parents to consider extending themselves so that we had more participation and representation from our families. The family dinner was all about that. People volunteered and managed to feed our families free of charge, and everyone came together to be sure the event was a success. It was the largest and most diverse gathering I have seen at our school.”
Onaway parents Stacey Hren, Jenny Steadman and Sharon Holbrook stepped up to the challenge, soliciting donations and organizing an army of volunteers. The school and PTO covered the remaining costs not covered by donations in order to provide the dinner for free. The result was the largest turnout in years, with close to 600 attendees.
“We started out talking about nourishing children with the best food possible, supporting local farms and taking care of the earth,” said Jenny Steadman, one of the PTO members who helped to organize the event. “And we ended up bringing a community together in a way that hasn't happened before.”
Photo credit: Christy O'Connell, SHHS '16