February stats:

NUMBERS: Food
We fed 130 or so people, including volunteers.

NUMBERS: Money
We spent about $500 on the meal and other event-related items. As always, we sought out donations for food and other items, and are proud to say that we have now broken even on set-up costs! As such, we will be able to award larger grants in the future.

We collected $693.17 via PayPal (RSVPs), an additional $500 at the door/for cash reservations, and $339 for a la carte beverages.

We awarded $600 to Eating with the Ecosystem (see proposal info in the menu below).

We used the balance of the door and beverage monies to cover the event costs and chip away at our initial start-up costs (which, as stated above, are finally recovered!).

VOTING PROCESS
Voting was based on a tiered system: Diners nominated their first, second, and third choice proposals. First place = 3 points, second place = 2 points, third place = 1 point. Most overall points received the Provision grant (and a bouquet of flowers).

MENU/PROPOSALS
Download February’s menu here! Proposals are within. Please note this updated special thanks list:

Backstage/waiter/clean up folks John Demetrick, Simcha Davis, Lena Sawyer, James Sawyer, Roger, Cael Thompson, Jayme Mallindine, Katie Miller, Adj Marshall, Mollie Hosmer-Dillard, Carolyn Gennari, Rebecca Noon, and Walker Mettling; additional set up helpers Caitlin Cali, Jed Hancock-Brainerd, John Demetrick, Lindsey Beal, Dyan Dealy, and Mari Robles; menu-maker Julia Gualtieri; cooks Fay Strongin and Tess and Laura Brown-Lavoie of Sidewalk Farms CSA (sourdough bread), Ian Cozzens (honey whole wheat bread), James Sawyer and family (Tofu Curry), Cristina DiChiera (sugar cookies), and Chris Mulligan (munken and petit fours). Also thanks to Dylan and Noah Block-Harley for the perfect music; to New Urban Arts for the beautiful space and to Julia Gualtieri, Caitlin Cali, and Noel Puello for representing NUA throughout the weekend; to Simcha Davis from AS220 Youth for our beautiful logo; and to Lena Sawyer and Gianna Rodriguez at AS220 Youth for our incredible posters.

OTHER DETAILS
At the September 2011 Provision, past grantee Miguel Rosario presented an update of his photography work. February 2012′s dinner guests and volunteers heard from past grantees local grocery Fertile Underground and theatre-makers Strange Attractor. Both presenters spoke eloquently about how Provision support enabled them to see their projects through, because of grant funds but moreover because of the votes of confidence they received from the Provision community. As Michael said, “Once we got the Provision grant, not only were we able to open a bank account with the funds, but my friend looked at me and said, ‘Now you have to do this. You have to open the store. You can’t not do it.’” As always, all proposers regardless of receiving grant funds made valuable connections at the event – for example, this month, Val Khislavsky may have acquired a much-needed chest freezer for her project from a Provision attendee!

We are, as always, seeking feedback from dinner guests and proposers about their experiences at Provision. If you have thoughts, or would like to volunteer at a future Provision, don’t hesitate to contact us at providenceprovision [at] gmail [dot] com.

And finally, see photos from February 19 here:

September stats:

NUMBERS: Food
We fed 90-100 people, including volunteers.

NUMBERS: Money
We spent about $400 on the meal and other event-related items (including more plates, etc, to feed people!). As always, we sought out donations for food and other items, and will continue to seek donations for future events to offset set up costs.

We collected $417.63 via PayPal (RSVPs), an additional $466 at the door/for cash reservations, and $312 for a la carte beverages.

We awarded $500 to Carolyn Gennari’s proposal (see proposal info in the menu below).

We used the balance of the door and beverage monies to cover the event costs and chip away at our initial start-up costs (over $800). Once these costs are recouped, we will only reimburse ourselves for what we spend on food and any other incidentals necessary to make the meal happen; the rest will go to the selected project. (We hope to be able to do this after just one more Provision!)

VOTING PROCESS
Voting was based on a tiered system: Diners nominated their first, second, and third choice proposals. First place = 3 points, second place = 2 points, third place = 1 point. Most overall points won.

MENU/PROPOSALS
Download September’s menu! ProvisionMenu_Sep2011

Proposals are within. Please note our full special thanks list:

Backstage/waiter/clean up folks John Demetrick, Simcha Davis, Lena Sawyer, George Olken, Stewart Wagner, Zoe Thompson, Amy Atticks, Adj Marshall, Eamon Mahoney, Serena, Anne Reinhardt, Mike Berenson; additional set up helpers JP Reader, John Demetrick, Mari Robles, Christina, Dan, and Colgate Searle; menu maker Julia Gualtieri; cooks Tess and Laura Brown-Lavoie of Sidewalk Farms CSA (sourdough bread), Cael Brendan Seamus Barry Thompson (Vegan Chili), Shura Baryshnokov and Jessica Leach of Raw Dogs RI (raw yam bisque), and Giorgio Stewmari (cookies). Also thanks to Dylan Block-Harley for the lovely music, to Lucie Searle for the beautiful space, to Simcha Davis from AS220 Youth for our fabulous logo, and to Lena Sawyer and Gianna Rodriguez at AS220 Youth for our super posters.

OTHER DETAILS
We are, as always, seeking feedback from dinner guests and proposers about their experiences at Provision. If you have thoughts, or would like to volunteer at a future Provision, contact us at providenceprovision [at] gmail [dot] com.

And finally, see photos from September 18 here:

May stats:

NUMBERS: Food
We fed 90-100 people, including volunteers.

NUMBERS: Money
We spent about $210 on the meal and other event-related items. As always, we got as much food and other things donated as we could, and will continue to seek donations for future events.

We collected $427.95 via PayPal (RSVPs), an additional $300 at the door, and $244 for a la carte beverages.

We awarded $500 to Miguel Rosario’s proposal (see proposal info in the menu below).

We used the balance of the door and beverage monies to cover the event costs and chip away at our initial start-up costs (over $800). Once these costs are recouped, we will only reimburse ourselves for what we spend on food and any other small incidentals necessary to make the meal happen; the rest will go to the selected project.

VOTING PROCESS
Voting was based on a tiered system: Diners nominated their first, second, and third choice proposals. First place = 3 points, second place = 2 points, third place = 1 point. Most overall points won.

MENU/PROPOSALS
Download May’s menu! ProvisionMenu_May2011

Proposals are within. Please note our full special thanks list:

Backstage/waiter folks Simcha Davis, Julia Bea Moreno, Dana Heng, Shirla Auguste, Lena Sawyer, George Olken, Stewart Wagner, Aurora, John Demetrick, Ben Gilberg, Montana Blanco, Ricardo Ferrer, SueEllen Kroll; Xander Marro for serving drinks; additional set up helpers Daniela Aramayo, Mari Robles, and Stephanie Sharkey; menu maker Julia Gualtieri; cooks Craig O’Connor (foccacia bread), Ian Cozzens (honey whole wheat bread), Carl Hasse (root beer/root beer floats), Ricardo Ferrer (corn chowder) and Ben Gilberg (split pea soup) and Giorgio Stewmari (cookies). Also thanks to Dylan Block-Harley, Jeff Chu, and Natalie Jablonski for the lovely music, to Clay Rockefeller for the incredible space, to Simcha Davis from AS220 Youth for our beautiful logo, and to Lena Sawyer and Gianna Rodriguez at AS220 Youth for our new posters!

OTHER DETAILS
We are, as always, seeking feedback from dinner guests and proposers about their experiences at Provision. If you have thoughts, contact us at providenceprovision [at] gmail [dot] com.

And finally, see photos from May 22 here:

Featuring the following delectables
* Ben Gilberg’s Split Pea Soup swan song and Ricardo Ferrer’s Spicy Corn Chowder
* Ian Cozzens’s delicious Honey Whole Wheat Bread and Craig O’Connor’s amazing Fresh Focaccia
* Giorgio Stewmari’s Chocolate Chip (vegan and wheat-free), Ginger Lemon Shortbread, and Sesame Peanut Butter cookies

and proposals
* Amber Kelly (Executor, an interactive theatre production)
* Miguel Rosario (Preserving the Culture of the Dominican Republic, a photographic essay project)
* Jessica Brown (Let’s Just Make That, a how-to video blog that turns ordinary people into makers)
* Eva Goodman (Cupcake Cart, a project about ephemeral personal experience and the impact of speech)

See you there!

March stats:

NUMBERS: Food
We fed 75-80 people, including volunteers.

NUMBERS: Money
We spent about $175 on the meal and around $100 on other event-related items. As always, we got as much food and other things donated as we could, and will continue to seek donations for future events.
We collected $533 via PayPal (RSVPs), an additional $190 at the door, and $175 for a la carte beverages.
We awarded $500 to Rebecca Noon, Jed Hancock-Brainerd, Aram Aghazarian, and Roblin Gray-Davis’s proposal (see proposal info in the menu below).
We used the balance of the door and beverage monies to cover the event costs and chip away at our initial start-up costs (over $800). Once these costs are recouped, we will only reimburse ourselves for what we spend on food and any other small incidentals necessary to make the meal happen; the rest will go to the selected project.

VOTING PROCESS
Voting was based on a tiered system: Diners nominated their first, second, and third choice proposals. First place = 3 points, second place = 2 points, third place = 1 point. Most overall points won.

MENU/PROPOSALS
Download March’s menu! ProvisionMenu: March 2011

Proposals are within. Please note our full special thanks list:

Backstage/waiter folks Simcha Davis, Julia Bea Moreno, Dana Heng, Shirla Auguste, Lena Sawyer, Daniela Aramayo, Devon Anderson, George Olken, Stewart Wagner, John Demetrick, and Ben Gilberg; food prep friends Jed Hancock-Brainerd, Rebecca Noon, Ben Gilberg, and Max Zhang; food donators Fertile Underground (squash); and cooks Craig O’Connor (foccacia and rustic breads), Ian Cozzens (honey whole wheat bread), Carl Hasse (root beer/root beer floats), and once again, your friends and ours, Ben Gilberg (squash soup) and Giorgio Stewmari (cookies). Also thanks to Dylan Block-Harley for the lovely end-of-evening music.

OTHER DETAILS

We are, as always, seeking feedback from dinner guests and proposers about their experiences at Provision. If you have thoughts, contact us at providenceprovision [at] gmail [dot] com.

See photos from Sunday here, and read Rebecca Noon’s blog post about her experience at Provision here!

Some stats:

NUMBERS: Food
We fed 65-70 people including volunteers.

NUMBERS: Money
We spent about $180 on the meal (not including beverages) and over $600 getting the project going (on things ranging from dishes to business cards). We got as much food and other things donated as we could, and will continue to seek donations for future events.
We collected $437 at the door and $140 for a la carte beverages.
We awarded $375 to Fertile Underground’s proposal (see proposal info below).
We are applied for a grant to cover our start-up costs but if it is not funded we will continue to take a tiny cut from the door and all beverage funds to gradually cover our initial costs. Once these costs are recouped, we will only reimburse ourselves for what we spend on food and any other small incidentals that are necessary to make the meal happen; the rest will go to the selected project.

VOTING PROCESS
Voting was based on a tiered system: Diners nominate their first, second, and third choice proposals. First place = 3 points, second place = 2 points, third place = 1 point. Most overall points wins.

MENU/PROPOSALS
Download February’s menu! Proposals are within. Please note additional (unlisted!) special thanks: Simcha Davis, Montana Blanco, SueEllen Kroll, Scott Lapham, Christina DiChiera, Noah Block-Harley, Raffe Cataldo-Sputamachie, and Christine Cataldo-Sputamatchie. Provision Menu: Feb 2011

If you would like to get in touch with any of the propose-ers to find out more about their projects, and especially if you would like to support them (financially or otherwise), here’s some contact info we should have included in the menu:

Ospreys #16 “Obscure Finale” Print Collection
Tom Bubul
tom.bubul [at] gmail [dot] com

Generation Citizen: Social Justice and Activism Afterschool Program
Molly Mills
www.generationcitizen.org
molly [at] generationcitizen [dot] org

Negative Press Publications 001: (still untitled) vol. 01
negative.press.publications [at] gmail [dot] com

Tasty Prints Promote Fertile Underground Grocery
fertileunderground.com
fertileunderground [at] gmail [dot] com

Cupcake Cart
evagoodman [at] hotmail [dot] com

16mm Film: The Root That Ate Roger Williams
www.aleepeoples.com
aleemichelle [at] hotmail [dot] com

OTHER DETAILS
We are seeking feedback from all dinner guests and proposers about their experiences from this month! If you didn’t get our email and have thoughts, get in touch ASAP at providenceprovision [at] gmail [dot] com.

COMING UP
Final details (location, date, some other revisions around how the evening is structured) for March’s Provision TBA – stay tuned.

And finally, check out Molly Mills’s blog post about her experience and see photos from Sunday here!