29.3 F
Indianapolis
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Open Bite Night continues to ‘Groe’

More by this author

When Ro and Earl Townsend opened a corner store in their home in the Clifton Rader community northwest of downtown Indianapolis, they saw the shop as an opportunity to get to know new neighbors. When they learned the candy, chips and walking tacos that some of the neighborhood kids had purchased would serve as their dinner, they decided to do something about it. The Townsends started feeding the neighborhood kids a couple times a week, then later decided to take it a step further and throw a block party and cookout. They called the event Open Bite Night.

“The very first one we did at our house, and we were expecting maybe 50 to 75 people to show. We had around 300. All we heard the whole night was ‘Are you doing this every week, every month?’ In that moment we were like, OK, this thing is bigger than us. All it did was solidify the fact that this was something the community was looking for,” said Earl Townshend.

After the first Open Bite Night, the pair decided to keep the momentum going by hosting more cookouts. They could not have predicted that the event would grow to attract more than a dozen food vendors and host 2,000 attendees in less than a year’s time. In addition to offering food and fellowship within the community, Open Bite Night’s stage gives local artists and musicians a place to gain exposure.

“We have artists who are from this neighborhood and outside of it. You can’t build a community by isolating that community, but we don’t leave Indianapolis, because Indianapolis has a lot of rich talent that needs to be showcased,” Ro Townshend said. “We have a lot of singers, poets and rappers. We also have a local band, a roller-skating dance group, break dancing and quite a few kinds of art represented. We try to be very inclusive. It’s giving people and youth an opportunity. People are like, ‘Hey, I do poetry,’ or ‘Hey, I do gospel flags, can I get on your stage?’ It’s like, sure, send us a video and we’ll add you.”

The next Open Bite Night will take place on Oct. 7 from 2–8 p.m. at the Flanner House and Watkins Park at 24th and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. streets. The event will feature more than a dozen food vendors, 25 businesses and merchandisers and more than 20 live performances. The Townsends say Open Bite Night has attracted corporate sponsors, including FedEx Ground and a local university. Despite its growth, the Townsends don’t want the event to lose its grassroots vibe. 

The couple still feeds hungry children via Groe Inc., a state-recognized nonprofit organization the couple founded. They hope their story will inspire other Hoosiers to tackle issues they see in their own neighborhoods from the ground up.

“When we moved here, we were homeless; when we had the candy store, we had five kids. We don’t have a lot of money, but we could spare a few dollars to buy chips and fresh fruit to give to kids in the neighborhood,” said Ro Townshend. “People often feel intimidated by a lofty goal of owning a nonprofit or building a community center, but you really just have to do something, be it mentoring, getting to know your neighbors, offering to rake an elderly person’s leaves. You never know what that connection can lead to. Do something other than complain.”

- Advertisement -

Upcoming Online Townhalls

- Advertisement -

Subscribe to our newsletter

To be updated with all the latest local news.

Stay connected

1FansLike
1FollowersFollow
1FollowersFollow
1SubscribersSubscribe

Related articles

Popular articles

Español + Translate »
Skip to content