Our History
Share Our Strength Seacoast— Fourteen years of fighting childhood hunger on the Seacoast and beyond.
The early years
In 1994 after just 8 weeks of planning, the first Taste of the Nation Portsmouth was held at Barnstormers Restaurant on the Pease Tradeport. Affiliated with the national anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength, a Seacoast chapter was born. Over the course of the next few years, Share Our Strength Seacoast grew the Taste of The Nation Portsmouth, and expanded the variety of fund raising and educational events to include press luncheons, Concert for Hunger, Hunger Banquet, and Change Hunger. At the height of all these activities there were up to 45 volunteers working on the various projects. In 1996 Share Our Strength Seacoast raised the most money per capita of any participating city in the nation in the fight against hunger. In just two years, their income had gone from $8000, to over $50,000 per year. They continue to raise the most per capita of all Taste of the Nation cities.
Growing organically
As the decade progressed, the Seacoast Taste of the Nation continued to grow. The event moved to the Frank Jones Center, and eventually came to be held at the Redhook Brewery. It was also during this time that Share Our Strength Seacoast, in conjunction with Strawbery Banke Museum, co-sponsored a community garden on the grounds of the museum, which is still very productive and independent. As the decade drew to a close, the Taste of The Nation Portsmouth continued to set new fund raising records year after year.
New millenium, new challenges
After a one-year hiatus in 2001, some people who had been active as restaurateurs and committee members in previous years recognized that the need was greater than ever for the funds that Share Our Strength provided to the local grant recipients, and that the people of the Seacoast were clamoring for the gala Taste of the Nation Portsmouth event to return. So in 2002 a sit-down dinner was organized at the Portsmouth Brewery; with Lindbergh’s Crossing, 43 Degrees North, The Blue Mermaid, The Portsmouth Brewery and Jumpin’ Jay’s Fish Café providing the food. One hundred guests attended, and Share Our Strength Seacoast was back. With renewed energy, the full committee swung into action in 2003. The Taste of The Nation Portsmouth was held at the newly renovated Wentworth-By-The-Sea Hotel, and was in such high demand that all tickets were sold out two weeks prior to the event. This new venue presented many challenges, but the committee and event volunteers proved up to the task, and when all was said and done, more funds were distributed to the grant recipients in 2003 than in any other year of Share Our Strength Seacoast’s existence to that point.
Operation Frontline
2004 was another pivotal year for Share Our Strength Seacoast as they integrated Share Our Strength’s nutrition education program called Operation Frontline into their anti-hunger efforts. Operation Frontline utilizes Share Our Strength chefs, and local nutritionists to conduct six-week classes to teach struggling families how to plan, budget, shop for, and cook nutritious low cost meals. In 2004, Share Our Strength Seacoast also began organizing an annual gourmet sit-down dinner to help fund Operation Frontline on the Seacoast. In just a few short years this “Share Your Love” dinner has become the “must attend” winter event for food lovers on the Seacoast and beyond, and to date the dinners have raised over $40,000 to ensure that these vital classes can continue in our community.
National honor
On October 22, 2006 Share Our Strength Seacoast was named National Committee of the Year at the annual Share Our Strength Conference of Leaders. The awards committee cited Share Our Strength Seacoast as a model for all 65 Share Our Strength cities throughout the U.S. and Canada, for its sustained excellence and dedication to eradicating the scourge of childhood hunger on the Seacoast and beyond.
Celebrating 100
The 2008 Taste of the Nation Portsmouth is now a part of history. More than 800 guests enjoyed a wildly successful event on June 18th, under two massive tents on the beautiful grounds of the Strawbery Banke Museum. The tally of money raised for the evening exceeded a record breaking $100,000. To date Share Our Strength Seacoast has raised over $700,000, of which 100% has gone directly to hunger relief organizations. This year also marked the first time that this event was 100% trash free. All consumer products used including cutlery, napkins, and glassware were recyclable, and 100% of the scrap food was composted for use at local farms.
Thank you Seacoast
Thanks to the dedication and hard work of the restaurant owners, chefs, volunteers, grant recipients, corporate sponsors, and Share Our Strength board members, as well as the support of a caring community, awareness of the problem of hunger on the Seacoast continues to grow, and the goal of ending childhood hunger in the next generation is becoming attainable.
