Northwest Paella Fest

Paella Fest 2020 goes virtual

As the tomatoes begin to bloom and the days warm, our thoughts turn to summer evenings visiting with friends, music playing and paellas aplenty simmering away. Unfortunately, it would be irresponsible and possibly illegal to have our traditional large group gathering in the midst of this pandemic. So much has changed.

On some neighborhood streets, pedestrians outnumber cars, and when people walk by and ask, “How are you?” we sense it isn’t just a mindless greeting, but a sincere inquiry, a sign of caring, and a need to connect.

But not everything has changed. Paella will always be in style. We still need to see friends, maybe more than ever. People in our community are food-insecure and Food for Lane County needs our help more than ever, for certain.

What’s a person to do? Here are some ideas.

Make paella for family and friends (using appropriate gathering and spacing guidelines of course). Donate to FFLC.

Food for Lane County has set up a link where people can donate money in the name of NW Paella Fest, which allows us to monitor and celebrate our contribution. We understand this won’t work for everyone, so don’t feel pressure to do this.

Donate to Food for Lane County on behalf of NWPF here:

https://foodforlanecounty.org/paella2020/

August 1^st was the date chosen for this year’s fest; perhaps if we all made paella on that day the aromas would permeate the whole town.

If you have a party sometime this summer, please post pictures on the NW Paella Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/NWPaellaFest/

And let us know how you are. We’d like to know.