Red Fiddle Vittles, a family-owned Appalachian Market and Catering business, proudly launched Pass the Plate this month, a new pay-it-forward initiative that provides opportunities for customers to invest in strengthening our local food system through community care and mutual aid. 

Building on a longstanding commitment to community support through local food, Pass the Plate invites individuals to donate directly through Red Fiddle Vittles’ website or by adding onto an order–turning each transaction into a chance to feed a family facing food insecurity.

“So many people put so much love into the food we create,” shared Matt Farr, co-owner and General Manager, “and we believe that everyone deserves to feel good about what they’re eating. Pass the Plate is a direct and impactful way for us to use our skills and our business to support our community.”

The program utilizes donations to distribute the same locally-sourced Red Fiddle take-home dinners and freezer entrees sold in their South Asheville retail storefront to members of the Asheville community who are in need of a good meal. In the wake of devastating cuts in federal funding to Medicaid and SNAP, the owners knew they had to do something. 

“We know that there are people who are hungry right now and local farmers who need to keep getting paid,” shares Erica Beneke, co-owner and Executive Chef, “so we thought we should do what we do best: make delicious food and feed people. Pass the Plate is designed to stack functions: feed hungry people, pay struggling farmers, and support local workers.”

Since Helene, Red Fiddle Vittles has served over 10,000 free meals and raised more than $75,000 in donations to feed neighbors through collaborative community efforts. Pass the Plate formalizes this work into an ongoing, sustainable program designed to get food to hungry people now, and continue to invest in the farmers, foragers, makers, and cooks who make our Appalachian local food economy unique. 

Source: Red Fiddle Vittles.