The Bistro Restaurant Supports Photos for Food Banks Project
When Frank Mallory, co-owner of The Bistro Restaurant in St. Michaels, was looking for a local charity to align the business with, the Photos for Food Banks Project stood out. The restaurant and its sister business, The Royal Oak Catering Company, have always aligned themselves with hunger in the community, donating extra food to community organizations and even to neighborhood children who need a meal.
The Bistro’s other co-owner Doug Stewart, who is also co-owner of Royal Oak Catering Company with Paul Milne, Candy Chiaruttini, and Laura Poole, explains, “We know that there a lot of people in need in the area. As a local restaurant, we are always reaching out to help organizations like the St. Michaels Community Center who feed many people in the Bay Hundred area. This is another great way to give back to our community and help meet that need.”
Twelve Talbot County and Delmarva photographers have come together and donated some of their best photographs in exchange for a donation to the Mid-Shore Community Foundation (MSCF) Covid-19 Response Fund, specifically benefitting local food banks. The Photos for Food Banks Project is one of the few charitable campaigns that give something back to the people who support the effort by making a monetary donation.
In addition to The Bistro’s donation of $2000 to the Photos for Food Banks Project, the restaurant will also donate a restaurant gift certificate to the individuals who buy photos through the project.
“The project spoke to me because many people can’t afford foods with proper nutrition today. Food Banks are an important resource for people who need healthy food to eat,” comments Jennifer Stevens, General Manager of The Bistro.
“Our restaurant has been very fortunate to be in an area that people still want to travel to and to have the loyalty of a local client base. Giving back through this project is a way of showing gratitude.”
The Bistro hopes to hang some of the photographs from the Photos for Food Banks Project in its current outdoor seating area to enhance the dining experience there.
The Photos for Food Banks Project is under the umbrella of Photo Easton, founded by local photographer Steve Lingeman and affiliated with the Mid-Shore Community Foundation. Photo Easton’s formula is simple – make a purchase/donation and receive a photograph of your choice of equal value. Lingeman, who is passionate about his photography, got the idea for the fundraiser as he watched people standing in line for food in our community during the early days of the pandemic.
All donations to Photos for Food Banks go directly to the Mid-Shore Community Foundation’s Covid-19 Response Fund. Photo Easton photographer partners have donated supplies and their photographs to the fundraiser. To purchase a beautiful framed and “ready to hang” photograph and see your purchase benefit local food banks, visit photoeaston.org. For information about displaying Photo Easton photographs to promote this fundraiser, call Steve Lingeman at 914-413-1516.
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~Photos for Food Banks
