More than 500 Vineyarders flocked to the First Congregational Church of West Tisbury on a rainy Saturday afternoon, looking to get their fill of smoothies, pies, parfaits, and the particularly popular strawberry shortcake.
The Berry Festival, an annual fundraiser for the church, is always a celebration of nature’s bounty. But this year, the church is giving back to Earth more than ever, thanks to the Vineyard-based campaign Island Eats.
Members of Island Eats, in their mission against single-use plastics, handed out shiny new stainless steel straws to festivalgoers, and encouraged them to sign up for their network of reusable bowls and takeout containers. This year was the first partnership between the festival and campaign.
Represented in the menu items were blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, bananas (yes, botanically, they are berries), and peaches (no, they aren’t berries).
All dishes for sale were offered by members of the congregation.
Church member and volunteer Dinny Montrowl was running in and out of the kitchen on Saturday, making sure things went smoothly after six weeks of preparation.
“I’m really happy so many people came out despite the crummy weather,” Montrowl told The Times.
The Times interrupted Progyan Basu, a Washington, D.C., resident, just as he was about to enjoy his shortcake. Basu said that he had been invited to the Vineyard by a friend, and the festival was one of his last stops before returning home. “It’s a very good event,” he said, looking forward to getting back to his food.
The festival also raised funds through a raffle and fruit-focused craft sale. Up for sale were tickets for a blueberry bush, strawberry planter, croquet set, and gift cards to various Island businesses. African crafts were also offered, courtesy of the nonprofit African Artists Community Development Project.
The church also accounted for the festival’s trash, thanks to a manned waste-disposal tent in the church’s front yard. Those who paid extra for single-use plastics first washed off their container in a bucket before placing it in the recycling bin.
Montrowl hopes that the stainless steel bowls will be back next year: “[This year was] a nice experiment to try. Hopefully we keep on working together.”
Applause 👏 👏👏 for the recycling efforts!
Caution the use of stainless steel straws—they can cause serious accidental injury to children. Try using silicone straws instead.
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