Annual Chowder Contest Benefits Springs Food Pantry

In 2022, the Springs Food Pantry had 41,890 recipient visits. As of October 2023, the number has already surpassed last year’s. Now, more than ever, the Springs Food Pantry needs financial support from the close-knit Springs community.

Hot bowls of chowder will be served during the Chowdah Chowdown fundraiser to benefit the pantry on Saturday, October 28, from noon to 3 p.m., at Ashawagh Hall at 780 Springs Fireplace Road in Springs.

Local chefs from acclaimed East End restaurants will serve New England clam, Manhattan clam, crab and corn, and fish chowders — and much more. They will be serving hot soups up all afternoon. Each $50 ticket feeds one person, and includes unlimited sampling of hot chowder, draft beer from Springs Brewery, wine from the Channing Daughters Winery and a to-go container to bring home your favorite chowder at the end of the event. Guests will vote for their favorite chowders and the winner will receive a trophy and bragging rights for the most delicious soup in town.

“They are the landscapers, construction workers, electricians, plumbers, caregivers and caretakers,” Holly Wheaton, director and chairperson of the Springs Food Pantry, said of the pantry’s clientele. “Inflationary costs have hit them hard. Housing and food costs have skyrocketed, making it impossible for them to sufficiently take care of their families.”

The Springs Food Pantry is an all-volunteer-run operation.

“We have faced the challenge of helping to feed these people,” Wheaton said. “But we can’t do it alone. Our Chowdah Chowdown is a fun event for our ticketholders and chefs, but more importantly it brings awareness to an increasing need within our own community.”

Last Wednesday, October 11, the pantry served 327 families, totaling 1,215 household members, and winter isn’t even here yet. The line went down to Springs School, Wheaton said. The seasonal economy leaves many working families short of funds during the winter months when heating bills are at their highest, she explained, adding that monetary donations and fundraisers are their most important resource.

This year’s line-up of chefs and restaurants for the chowder contest includes the 1770 House, Amagansett Seafood Store, Chef Peter Ambrose, Chef Jeremy Blutstein of Mavericks Montauk, Bonfire Coffeehouse, Bostwick’s Seafood, Christian’s by Wolffer Estate, The Clam Bar, The Cookery, Chef Derek Freedman, Doubles, East End Food, The Honest Man Restaurant Group, Rosie’s Amagansett, Silverspoon Specialties, Springs Tavern & Grill, Chef Carolyn Stec of Sen, The United States Coast Guard Station Shinnecock, and others to be announced.

“The Chowdah Chowdown is a community gathering event, where local chefs come together armed with their best chowder recipes to compete for best in class, all in support of the Springs Food Pantry,” said Kira Brandman, operations director for the food pantry. “Guests may try as many samples as they like, indulge in some adult beverages from Channing Daughters and Springs Brewery, and even participate in the good-natured rivalry that ensues amongst the chefs. It’s a fun, feel-good event that supports our local families in need.”

In 1992, the Springs Food Pantry was established by a few members of the Springs Presbyterian Church to help local fishing and farming families struggling through the tough winter months. It is now independent and nondenominational, operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Wheaton’s been involved in the pantry for years. Her mother, Betty Reichart, was one of the founders. By 2005, Wheaton was volunteering at the pantry full-time.

The food pantry team extends far beyond the volunteers who come to Springs Community Presbyterian Church every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to sort, pack, and distribute food. Many people and institutions in the community share their goal to alleviate hunger and improve nutrition, family by family, week by week.

Twice a month, the nonprofit orders from Long Island Cares, a food bank that gives access to donated food products as well as access to listed foods from government programs or poundage amounts based upon the pantry’s number of recipients. They purchase dairy, fruit and meat from six wholesale distributors. Local farmers have been exceptionally generous to the operation, donating fresh produce throughout the year. The pantry also receives shelf-stable food from individuals, civic groups, schools, institutions, local businesses, and religious organizations.

“They’re all working,” Wheaton said of the folks she sees at the pantry each week. “A lot of people say, ‘Well, why aren’t these people working?’ They are working. Most of these people have normally two jobs and can’t make ends meet with a few kids.”

Currently feeding over 275 families every Wednesday, the weekly food distribution expenses exceed $20,000.

Due to the pandemic, they weren’t able to host the Chowdown the last few years. Instead, people purchased tickets, lined up outside the pantry, and picked up different chowders to sample. During COVID, the number of people the pantry helped quadrupled.

“All of the local chefs have as much fun as the guests,” Wheaton said of the contest. This year, they’re hoping to raise at least $18,000 through the fundraiser.

“It’s not just the money we bring in the day of the event. It’s the recognition that there is such a need in the community,” Wheaton said, adding that the pantry hosts three large fundraisers per year, including a chili cook off in the spring.

“There is such a need in Springs for this” she said. “These are the plumbers, the electricians, the construction workers. At the end of the day, there isn’t enough money to pay the rent, household expenses and childcare expenses. They’re giving up their food. For the community to come out and support, it helps tremendously.”

The Chowdah Chowdown will be held under a large tent on the green on Ashawagh Hall with live music by Joshua Brussel. All proceeds benefit Springs Food Pantry’s mission to help feed our neighbors in need.