💖 Thankful Thursdays at The Links Pub at Kebo Valley Golf Club 💖 All through September, our friends at The Links Pub at Kebo are giving back in a big way! Every Thursday this month (September 4, 11, 18, & 25), from 11:00am-5:00pm, they'll be donating 10% of their proceeds to Open Table MDI. Your meal = support for food security on MDI and the continuation of our beloved weekly supper as we work to bring in a new chef. 🧡 Gather your friends, enjoy a delicious lunch, and know you're helping to nourish our community at the same time. 🍽️ Eat well. Do good. Be thankful. (fb)

Over the past week, our hearts have been full as we have felt the outpouring of love, gratitude, and support for our beloved leader, Mahandeva Singh. Many of you have reached out after learning that Mahandeva has decided to step down from his role as Head Chef of Open Table MDI to focus on his health. If you have not yet read his beautiful and heartfelt letter, you can find it on our homepage (opentablemdi.org) and on our social media accounts. It is a testament to his passion, dedication, and the joy he has poured into this community. For close to a decade, Open Table MDI has been a place where food becomes more than nourishment – it becomes connection. Every Tuesday, our kitchen at 116 Cottage Street hums with the sounds of chopping, stirring, laughter, and conversation. Volunteers bustle about, and neighbors, old friends and new, gather over plates of warm, lovingly prepared meals. Some take their suppers to go; others share them at our tables; still others receive deliveries at home. In all, we feed an average of 350 people each week. We’ve built a network that is as strong as it is authentic – partnering with organizations like the Bar Harbor Food Pantry, College of the Atlantic, Bangor Savings Bank, Island Connections, Healthy Acadia, the Bar Harbor Garden Club, Bar Harbor Congregational Church, and the Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine. This is a web of care that stretches far beyond our kitchen walls. While Mahandeva will no longer be overseeing the Tuesday meal, he has graciously offered to continue serving as Executive Director behind the scenes: handling accounting, fundraising, ordering, and more. But to keep our suppers going, we must now fill the enormous gap left by his departure as Head Chef. This is our moment of decision – and of possibility. We see two clear paths forward: Path 1 — A Fully Funded Future We raise the funds to hire a new chef and sustain the Tuesday supper program for years to come. Our annual expenses have averaged around $250,000, a goal we’ve consistently met through grants, private donations, and community support. But because Mahandeva donated the majority of his time, we now face the need for additional funds to cover a chef’s salary. Our vision is to secure two years of funding – enough to ensure stability while we continue cultivating a sustainable donor base for the future. One possible way this could happen: 4 donors at $30,000 4 donors at $10,000 100 donors at $200 200 donors at $100 Path 2 — A New Home Under a Partner Organization We explore becoming part of another Island-based organization whose mission and values align with ours. Our fully equipped kitchen, experienced volunteer base, and deep knowledge of the community could make Open Table MDI a valuable asset to the right partner. No matter which path unfolds, one thing is certain: the need for what Open Table MDI provides has not gone away. The shared meals, the conversations, the friendships formed across tables – these are the threads that weave our community together. We are asking you, our friends, neighbors, and partners, to imagine what it would take to ensure Open Table MDI’s continued presence in our community. Whether you are able to give, connect us to potential donors, or open a conversation about partnership, your involvement matters now more than ever. Open Table MDI has always been a labor of love, built by many hands and generous hearts. We have risen to meet challenges before, and we believe we can do it again – together. If you are inspired to help us continue this work, please reach out to us at opentablemdi@gmail.com or make a gift on our website. The table is set, the air rich with the promise of what we might create, and the next course of Open Table MDI’s story waits to be cooked, seasoned, and shared by all of us. With deep gratitude and hope, Open Table MDI’s Board of Directors Nancy Schafer, President Curt Goldsberry, Treasurer Puranjot Kaur, Secretary Rose Besen-McNally Rachel Bunker Dianne Clendaniel Donna Gaines Sam Gaines Janet Hamel Angel Maldonado Bettina Richards Megan Rilkoff Amy Roebuck Zach Soares Jessica Stewart Jean Sylvia (fb)