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September 21, 2025 2025 Giving Guide

Community Plate

 

What We Do

Community Plate brings neighbors together in non-partisan, cross-cultural, intergenerational spaces at Story Sharing Suppers, our statewide series of free community events. We revitalize relationships and reenergize communities by reimagining the long tradition of the community potluck, using storytelling as a source of connection and entertainment.

It’s a simple, powerful formula, and it’s not something new – human beings have always gathered around food and stories. This combination brings us closer to one another and reminds us of our shared humanity. At the same time, it gives us an opportunity to express our individualities, our personal tastes, and our family stories. As we work to address loneliness and social disconnection, Community Plate exists at the convergence of community building, cultural preservation, public and civic health, and the performing arts. And the food is delicious!

We preserve family recipes and stories through the creation of community cookbooks, and we also work to preserve the tradition of Maine storytelling by hosting storytelling workshops and other community storytelling events.

2024/2025 Impact

• 96% report the interactions they experienced modeled values of kindness, respect, and commitment to one another;

• 99% report making a connection with someone they didn’t know or didn’t know well;

• 89% report feeling more connected to their community after the supper; and

• 90% indicate an increased interest in other community events.

2026 Goals

• Complete our goal of hosting suppers in each of Maine’s 16 counties.

• Deepen community ties by increasing the percentage of organizational revenue that comes from business sponsorships.

• Create a downloadable kit of our Story Sharing Supper framework to empower communities and extend the impact of our program to all corners of the state and beyond.

• Establish a statewide/national potluck week to encourage more people to come together to share food and stories.

• Expand our board.

• Increase our individual donor base.

Fundraising Events/Opportunities

We have numerous events throughout the year that have sponsorship opportunities at a variety of levels including:

• 16-20 Story Sharing Suppers across the state each year – sponsorship by single/multiple suppers

• The Corner in Lewiston – a monthly evening of community storytelling

• Annual November Gratitude Supper fundraiser – two weeks before Thanksgiving, in Southern Maine

• Annual Pi(e) Day fundraiser – a celebration of pies and math in Southern Maine, each year on March 14

• The Maine Storytelling Muster – a daylong celebration of the art of storytelling, each September in Brunswick

Giving Opportunities

• Sponsor a supper! We encourage more businesses to sponsor our Story Sharing Suppers. It’s a great way to support community in Maine and associate your brand with a positive, impactful community experience.

• Hire Community Plate! We offer guided conversations, event facilitation, and customized community cookbook creation to nurture relationships between colleagues and create a welcoming and collaborating company culture. Reach out if your company or organization would be interested in team- or community-building through food and story.

Volunteer Opportunities

Come to a supper! Bring a dish, share a story, build community!

At A Glance

Established: 2023 / Employees: 2 / Annual revenue: $89,000

Top funding sources

64% Individual donations

16% Grants

12% Fundraisers

5% Business sponsorships

3% Earned revenue

Contact

241 Yarmouth Road,

Gray, ME 04039

(207) 337-6101

https://communityplate.me 

Awards/Accolades

Named one of 25 Innovators Tackling the Loneliness Epidemic in 2025; Featured on NBC Nightly News, NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon, Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, National Civic Review, and The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Mission Statement

Community Plate is dedicated to fostering connection and building community through a common language of food, shared food stories and recipes, and the preservation of family food histories.

Service locations

Statewide: In two years we’ve hosted 35 Story Sharing Suppers in 13 of Maine’s 16 counties.

Leadership

Margaret Hathaway & Karl Schatz
Co-Founders

Board officers

Rachael Cerrotti, Portland, President

Don Lindgren, Alfred, Secretary

Jennifer Bristol, Lubec, Treasurer

Board Members

Myron Beasley, PhD, Lewiston

Leigh Hallett, Newport

Heather Kenvin, Portland

Nassar & Parivash Rohani, Freeport

Christine Rudalevidge, Brunswick

Topaz Smith, Portland