Maurer Meals help scholarship fund

REGION — The eighth annual Maurer Meals is Friday, October 12 and Saturday, October 13 at 13 locally-owned restaurants throughout western Maine. Participating restaurants will offer special menus featuring locally-grown food products, including organic and all natural foods.

Money raised goes to the Justin A. Maurer Memorial Scholarship Fund, for a third or fourth year University of Maine at Farmington student enrolled in the Community Health Education Program.

Maurer Meals is held in memory of Justin Maurer, a 2004 magna cum laude graduate of that program. “Justin was a supporter of the small farm in Maine, and he recognized the necessity of producing food without poisoning the earth or our bodies,” said Justin’s father, Gary Maurer of Leeds. “We thought this project might be a good way to carry on his beliefs and honor his legacy.”

The goals of Maurer Meals include supporting local agriculture and locally-owned independent restaurants as well as the scholarship fund. Maurer Meals works to keep money local, keep the land sustainable and encourage people to make conscious decisions about food, health and community. To date, Maurer Meals has raised over $15,000 and seven Community Health Education students have benefited from the scholarship fund.

The local participating restaurants for the 2012 Maurer Meals on October 12 and 13 are The Olde Mill Tavern of Harrison (583-9077), Café Nomad of Norway (739-2249) and 76 Pleasant St. of Norway (744-9040).

For reservations, call the participating restaurant; for information about the Scholarship, call Pat Carpenter of UMF at 778-7091 and for information about the Maurer Meals Project call Gary Maurer at 524-2060 or go to the website maurermeals.org or find them on Facebook.