A virtual wine-tasting event on June 21st will help support local food producers and community meals.
It’s On Us Corvallis and First Alternative Co-op invite area residents to support local wineries, a local cheesemonger, and Corvallis community meals in a virtual fundraiser on Sunday, June 21, at 4 pm. Each $100 ticket includes a tax deductible donation to IOU Corvallis, a wine and treat basket from First Alternative Co-op (a $75 value), and an hour of virtual tasting instruction and conversation with wine and cheese experts.
Though the company will be virtual, the wine basket will not! It will include three bottles of local wine, curated cheese, and other treats. Heather Smith, local wine expert with over two decades of industry experience, will guide participants through the wine-tasting experience. Live Q & A will follow, featuring Merrilee Buchanan, winemaker at Tyee Wine Cellars, and Mariano Battro, owner and cheesemonger at La Mariposa Cheese. They will speak to the current environment for each of their speciality food businesses, how they have adapted, and their path forward.
Tickets are available online through Wednesday, June 18, at https://itsonuscorvallis.org/ways-to-give. With email confirmation of ticket purchase, participants may pick up their baskets at First Alternative Co-op South Store (1007 SE Third Street, Corvallis) on Friday, June 19, and Saturday, June 20. Those who can afford to are encouraged to purchase a ticket for the community. Event organizers will host a raffle and give away the donated tickets.
It’s On Us Corvallis, a project of the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition’s Food Action Team, is organized and run by a small group of volunteers who are passionate about food security, boosting the local economy, nourishment, and trust. Here’s how it works: IOU Corvallis raises funds from the community that are, in turn, paid to local restaurants to provide hundreds of meals each week to community members who need a boost – no questions asked. The project was launched in April 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, in an effort to support local restaurants and local residents. To date, more than 4,000 meals have been served.
Each ticket purchased for the Summer Solstice Wine Tasting event will provide FIVE meals for community members in need. For more information about IOU Corvallis, visit www.itsonuscorvallis.org.