05/28/2026
Hey everyone, Amy here. Next week from Tuesday, June 2nd through Saturday, June 6th Pinocchio's is hosting a donation drive to benefit the Table10 community dinner which is held on the second Monday of every month. June's community dinner will be held on Monday, June 8th.
If you are unfamiliar with the Table10 vision, how it came about and how it works, I'll be glad to explain! Quinta, Chef Q, is the owner and operator of Fleming Street - Bakery & Southern Cuisine, our wonderful neighbors here in Spencer. She told me about her vision over a year ago about the concept of a pay what you can monthly dinner. Whether you can pay a little, a lot or nothing at all, everyone is welcome to come together and enjoy a meal together. As a community. Well, I immediately told her I'd be glad to help in any way I can to make this vision come to life. I believe in supporting our community, because without them we have nothing.
So, with some planning and great eagerness, Quinta launched the very first Table10 dinner in April of 2025. I joined her in her kitchen, which if you think about it is kind of a cool getaway for me! Cooking with my dear friend in a different kitchen?! It's something I look forward to every month. Looking at that date, we just celebrated a year of her vision, her Table10 fed this community for 12 months! In those 12 months, Table10 has fed over 1,300 people from our community. 1,300!!! 1,300 people have sat down together and enjoyed a meal, regardless if they could pay for it or not. This gives everyone an equal chance to bring their families out to eat. To chat with their neighbors. To make new friends. It has been a pleasure to watch. When the cooking slows down, I always take a moment to stand behind the counter and just watch. And, what I see fills me with such joy and gratitude for what is being built, one plate at a time.
So, knowing all of this, it's time to get to the nitty gritty of such an endeavor. The cost. When this journey first began, everything came out of pocket. Quinta and I got the ingredients and just cooked. The money that came from these dinners went into a separate account which would, in turn, fund the next one. The money earned has never been used to benefit either of our restaurants. Staffing for these dinners comes from volunteers. But, please know that when the money was plentiful, Quinta was able to purchase groceries for some families who were in dire need. Which brings me to the point of this post, this donation drive.
The money for Table10 has run dry. For the past few months, it has not brought in enough to even cover the cost of the supplies, the ingredients. Each month, the cost to put this on is anywhere between $500-$700, depending on the menu and cost variances of ingredients. But, between Quinta and I, we have covered the costs to keep this monthly community event going. And, we plan to keep it going. Now, I know you all have been to the grocery store lately and have probably gasped at how much costs have risen. Quinta and I gasp, too, because we each own and operate very small restaurants to which any profit margin is tough to maintain. And these past few months, it's basically been non existent. It's been scary to be in the business we are in right now. Now, this post isn't about Pinocchio's or about Fleming St, we shall prevail and better times are ahead. They have to be, right??? This post is about being able to keep these community dinners going. Because if we are feeling the tight squeeze within our businesses, we know that the community is feeling it, even more so, in their own homes.
So, all next week, if you're willing and able to, we will be collecting donations at Pinocchio's to help keep this program going. Every penny will go into Table10. If we get more than enough to fund the one coming up on June 8th? It'll get set aside for the one in July. None of this money has ever gone back to either one of our restaurants. None at all.
As well as seeking donations, if your business or organization would like to sponsor a monthly meal? We'd be glad to highlight your business and give our deepest gratitude. It's almost the end of the fiscal year, is there money left on the budget? Have accountants advised you to spend more for "charitable donations"? Would your organization be willing to support this program? If so feel free to reach out to either Quinta or myself.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post and for being willing to help keep this selfless program going. It's a highlight of my month, I see the benefit for a community that needs it. I hope you'll see the benefit, too.
-Amy
