The Isla Vista Co-Op and UCSB Associated Student Food Bank will be hosting a community event once a month full of free food, friends, neighbors and good conversation.
The Grazing Hour, Isla Vista’s first official monthly potluck, will be from 4-6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14 and will be held on the 2nd Wednesday of every month at the Isla Vista Co-Op.
The idea of a community potluck came up from many years of conversation and attempted planning from UCSB’s Associated Students. The group of student leaders has been trying to organize a community food event while coordinating with the Associated Students Food Bank.
“This is one of those events where we want to be in celebration with other folks,” said coordinator Tyen Nguyen. “We hope people will be able to connect with each other and in a place like Isla Vista, a social capital, it should be really easy. The idea of a potluck is just neighbors helping neighbors.”
The potluck is being called The Grazing Hour, which arose from the first attempt at a community potluck in early September. Current Isla Vista resident Jim Symington came up with the name while sitting with only about 15 other potluck attendees at the Isla Vista Co-Op, where this first potluck was hosted.
The UCSB Food Bank, sponsored by the Isla Vista Community Relations Committee, will be preparing some food from their pantry as well as the Isla Vista Co-Op, but urges everyone in attendance to bring something to the table to share.
The Associated Students Food Bank is led by UCSB students with a focus in providing confidential services to students needing food and toiletries. They also provide resource referral to students as well as educational and skill workshops.
In order to push the idea of a community event, the Associated Students did little advertising to promote it. Nguyen said that word of mouth is the best way for an event like this to reach all of Isla Vista, UCSB and City College students.
A Facebook page was created for the event titled, The Grazing Hour: An Isla Vista Potluck, and has 377 people saying they will be in attendance. The next event is Oct. 14 next week.
