In an ongoing effort to raise funds for its new building in the village, Lopez Island Thrift Shop is hosting an Asian Fusion Dinner on Wednesday, June 18 at the Love Dog Cafe.
The main chefs are Maria Armstrong (Thrift Shop president), Junko Fujiwara, and Beverly Russ. White Bear, owner of the Love Dog, is donating the use of her restaurant. Doors open at 4:30.
The menu includes egg flower soup, shrimp fried rice, teriyaki chicken, garlic sauteed green vegetables, Asian tossed green salad with sesame miso vinaigrette, coconut sherbet, fortune cookies, and jasmine tea. There will also be alcohol available to purchase. The three chefs are blending food dishes from their heritage – Filipina, Japanese, and Chinese, respectively – to create a delicious and distinct meal.
The Thrift Shop held an Asian Fusion dinner in 2006 and sold out quickly. This year’s menu is even more mouth-watering, so make sure to purchase tickets in advance. Tickets are $25 and available at the Thrift Shop and Lopez Village Market.
Lopez Thrift Shop is buying a parcel of land behind Lopez Village Market, has building plans drawn, and is close to breaking ground. “We don’t yet know a completely accurate figure of how much money is needed because more bids need to be received, but our best guess is that we now have about one-third of the total money it will take to own the building and lot free and clear. We have about $100,000 in assets at present, and we estimate we will need $300,000 to $350,000. We are going to apply for grants, do more fundraisers, and we will have to borrow the remainder,” said Bill Brimmer, treasurer for the Thrift Shop.
“The more money we can raise locally, the better our chances will be to receive a nice grant, because local fundraising demonstrates community support. Ultimately both the grants and the fundraising will lessen the amount of mortgage needed. And the smaller the mortgage, the larger the share of new shop income that can be devoted to support of the community rather than devoted to debt service. I guess we are asking the community to help themselves by helping us now,” Brimmer continued.
