Fueling The People Who Fuel Fringe
Our Volunteer Kitchen delivers meals, memories, and more!
When tickets are scanned, when pints are poured, and when a first-time Fringer needs help choosing a show, there’s a group of people passionately and thoughtfully powering it all: Fringe Volunteers.
These generous folks make the unpredictable, inescapable joy of the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival possible by offering their time, skill, and energy to keep Festival humming from the buzz of opening day of Festival to the standing ovations on closing day. It’s big-hearted, behind-the-scenes work – and it runs best when everyone is properly fueled.
Luckily, there’s a program designed to do just that: our Fringe Volunteer Kitchen!
Led by Volunteers, for Volunteers, the Kitchen provides thousands of delicious meals and snacks to our 1,000 Volunteers over 11 days of Festival.
With each spoonful dished out and each seat taken around a communal table, the Volunteer Kitchen becomes much more than a quick meal between shifts. It becomes something magical.
It’s a space for Volunteers to connect in community. It’s the mobile refreshment wagon delivering tasty treats and cold beverages in the August heat to Volunteers in every corner of the site. It’s an opportunity for Volunteers to nourish their bodies while they bond over the stories that have nourished their hearts.
The recipe for the Volunteer Kitchen is robust: Volunteers, Team Leaders, Staff, Sponsors, and Donors all provide essential ingredients.
The Beakhouse Fringe Volunteer Appreciation Fund
The program is so impactful that Tammy and Kaytlyn Beakhouse, a mother-daughter duo of Volunteer Team Leaders, have created a family endowment fund to help bolster Volunteer Appreciation programs.
“We’ve been fringing since the ‘80s,” says Tammy.
“And ‘90s,” laughs her daughter Kaytlyn. “Volunteering has become one of our favourite parts of Fringe. We’ve met amazing people, shared many laughs, and witnessed firsthand the dedication and passion that Volunteers bring to this incredible 11-day Festival. Volunteers are the heart of Fringe, and simply put, without Volunteers there is no Fringe.”
“We wanted to support the people at the heart of the Festival and help sustain Fringe for generations to come,” Tammy shares. “The Beakhouse Fringe Volunteer Appreciation Fund is dedicated to ensuring Volunteers continue to be supported, recognized, and
celebrated long into the future.”
The personal generosity of the Beakhouse family is complemented by the impactful support of Fringe Sponsors.
Since 2023, the Italian Centre Shop has supported Volunteer Kitchen essentials. New this Spring, the Original Joe’s HEART Cart – whose motto is to “take care of people who take care of people” – served a very special dinner for nearly 100 Volunteer Team Leaders. At our annual Pancake Brunch, Community Natural Foods will provide special treats to celebrate Volunteers. And, our friends at Royal Treats have been sprinkling ice-cream desserts into our freezers for so many years we’ve almost lost count.
By fueling the people who fuel Fringe, a chain-reaction is created. One of joy, of care, of palpable community. The Volunteer Kitchen and all those who support it are a testament to the power of giving back and the power of a sustained Fringe.
Fringe Theatre gratefully acknowledges support from these endowment funds and grants from the Edmonton Community Foundation and beyond*:
Canadian Cultural Investment Fund
Cohos Evamy Fund
David Schuster & Elaine Pollard Family Fund
Dorothy Scott Award Fund
A Family That Cares – John & Avery Stobbe Family Fund
Frank & Jean Weichman Cinders Fund
Fringe Theatre Adventures Society Fund
Gerald Osborn Playwriting Fund
Jacqueline Sugiura Fund
Joe & Nancy Thompson Family Fund
Katherine Jacob Fund
Karen L. Johnson Fund
Kelly Kaye Fund*
Mowat Diversity Fringe Theatre Award Fund
Nordic & Cloutier Family Innovation Fund
Robert & Pamela Barrett Family Fund
Ross McBain Charitable Gift Fund*
Selena, George & Alana DeMelo Family Fund
Ward Family Fund*
Westbury Family Fringe Theatre Fund
If you’re inspired to sustain essential programs and services at Fringe, please consider donating to a Fringe Theatre endowment fund. Not only will your generosity help us for years to come, your gift will also be matched by the Canadian Cultural Investment Fund.
