Benefit For East End's Edible School Gardens Returns For Its Ninth Year On April 7

Since 2011, the number of edible school gardens on the East End grew from about five to 30, teaching more and more children the importance of local agriculture and healthy eating. Such rapid expansion can be credited to A Moveable Feast, an annual spring benefit in honor of Joshua Levine that is the primary source of funding for the East End Edible School Gardens program.

But if you ask the organizers of the event, they will tell you that the growth is really because of the generous community that makes A Moveable Feast a success.

Every part of the benefit, from the food and drinks served, to the staff, to the venue, to the silent auction items, to the bathroom facilities are all donated by members of the community. The event’s sponsorships and ticket sales also come from locals eager to support the cause.

A Moveable Feast will return for its ninth year on Sunday, April 7, at the Sanctuary Home and Patio showroom in Sag Harbor, formerly called Dodds and Eder Home, with dozens of East End restaurants, wineries and breweries stationed throughout the venue, inviting guests to try small tastes of everything.

The fundraiser began eight years ago to memorialize Mr. Levine, a farmer at the Peconic Land Trust’s community-supported Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett who died in a tragic accident in 2010. The ensuing Joshua Levine Memorial Foundation teamed up with Slow Food East End, an organization that promotes local eating, to create this event encompassing his two passions: education and healthy eating.

“So many people think of our community as being one of glitz and glamour and not real,” said Myron Levine, Joshua Levine’s father who runs the memorial foundation with his wife, Susan. “And when the accident occurred, the community was so incredibly supportive of myself, my wife, my family. The East End and how we were dealt with was more like Andy Griffith’s Mayberry than what people tend to think of the Hamptons and the East End.

This year, the number of chefs who wanted to volunteer their time and food for the event actually exceeded the limit that could be accommodated, explained Pennie Schwartz, chair of Slow Food East End.

“Normally we have like, 19, 20. This year we had to cut it off at 25 because we really ran out of room,” she said, “which is a good problem to have.”

A portion of the proceeds from the event pays for three master farmers to work with schools on the North and South Forks to create and maintain their gardens. The earnings also go toward mini-grants that are awarded to schools for necessary garden materials as well as the Chef to Schools program that began this year, which brings a chef in to teach students about healthy eating and cooking habits.

Mr. Levine said the problem with the edible school gardens in the past was the lack of continuity. There was no one dedicated to maintaining all the gardens from year to year, so the idea was to create a program bringing in master farmers who would keep them going, particularly in the summer months when school is not in session but crops are growing fast.

The foundation and Slow Food East End raised $48,000 at the benefit last year, Ms. Schwartz said. It was the most profitable feast to date, mainly because of the decision to start a sponsorship program which attracted larger donations from businesses. The group will continue to welcome sponsorships this year.

The upcoming event will be a particularly special one. For the first time, a specific school garden will be featured to show guests and volunteers the tangible results of their donations. East Quogue Superintendent Robert Long and members of its garden club—who call themselves Earth Rangers—will speak and give presentations about their garden.

“I’m honored to have been asked. Obviously we’re very excited about our Earth Rangers gardening program and we’re looking forward to sharing our successes. It’s just an exciting time here for it,” said Mr. Long, who is also the elementary school principal. He added that the school is relocating the garden to a larger area on the school grounds in the coming months.

Ms. Schwartz and Mr. Levine said they hope their local success will inspire other Slow Food branches throughout the world to emulate what they have done.

A Moveable Feast will take place on Sunday, April 7, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Sanctuary Home and Patio showroom, 11 Bridge Street, Sag Harbor. Tickets are $150, or $100 for Slow Food East End members. Visit slowfoodeastend.org/moveablefeast_2019.