some sources of inspiration...
http://selmacafe.org/
located in ann arbor, mi, these folks host a weekly local foods breakfast, prepared by volunteers, and offer grants for equipment and infrastructure to beginning farmers in their region!
http://detroitsoup.com/
an event in detroit and elsewhere, detroit soup hosts soup/salad/bread dinners for cheap-- and community folks present their creative/community projects to diners, who then vote on the recipient of the micro-grant funded by the dinner! face-to-face, spoon-to-bowl crowd-funding :)
http://ediblecommunities.com/eastbay/summer-13/it-takes-a-grandmother.htm
the people's kitchen hosts sliding-scale community dinners to benefit local social justice organizations- and features education about these awesome groups and the issues they work on as part of the dinner experience.
woohoo, these things get me excited! let's do it gville!