We at The Bearcamp Center believe that abundant, nutritious and delicious food is a right and not a privilege. For more than a decade, our kitchen has been a food hub, serving up weekly lunches, summer dinners, our annual Giving Thanks and holiday feasts, and a wide variety of themed, multi-course dinners, all made from the most lush and delicious foods we can source.
In order to maximize accessibility, our meals are served on a by-donation basis, asking diners to pay what (or if) they can or what they believe the food is worth to our community.
We are excellent cooks and offer a wide variety of selections which tempt many. Those with means contribute a “market value” donation–paying it forward–and those without enjoy a subsidized meal. Because the variety and quality of the food entices folks from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, our donation system allows anonymity and we reduce the stigma associated with being seen accessing a support service.
With more than 50,000 meals served from our licensed kitchen since March 2020 , we are shifting our focus from Tamworth and Sandwich, expanding to address the pervasive reality of hunger in central Carroll County.
Our meals are prepared with a wide variety of ingredients, often using fresh produce donated by or purchased from local farms such as Mountain Heartbeet, Chestnut Meadow Farm, Tanna Farm, Moulton Farm, Windover Farm, and the NH Mushroom Company, to name a few. Friends and neighbors offer eggs and groceries to our stores, helping us to create a wide variety of recipes to tempt many palates.
Meals are served from a dedicated room with its own clearly-labelled entrance on our front porch. We advertise on local chat groups and social media when we’ve restocked, with a short description of the menu. Meal ingredients are labelled on each portion, with allergens highlighted. Folks can come by any time at all to pick up a meal. We ask that meals taken are logged, with age of diners and town, so that we have data to support grant requests. All meals are fully-cooked and need only be reheated to eat!
Donations keep these meals coming! The food is for all who need or want it; donations from those who have more cash to spare offset the meals for those without much disposable income. Grant funding and donations pay for a cook to expand our meal prep; private funds have been donated to upgrade our kitchen, adding two commercial convection ovens, a commercial reach in, a commercial fridge, and two new freezers!
Many people bring shelf-stable groceries and household items to stock our ShareShelf, providing extra food and goods for those who need to supplement their household budgets.
Support for and from our community members is at the heart of our model. Thank you to participants and contributors alike!
