Everybody in attendance has a stake in what happens, says founder Theresa Rose.
"A stake in Philadelphia, in the arts and creative thought, a stake in local organic food, a stake in the local economy," she says.
Nearly three years ago, Rose heard about this style of micro-granting - holding a sourced, recurring dinner at which money is distributed for community projects - which originated in Chicago under the name InCubate and spread worldwide. Now, there are 45 iterations of the concept.
The Johannesburg, South Africa group goes by the name Skafiten. In Milan, Italy, it's Granaio; Newcastle-upon-Tynn, England, has a group called Highbridge Artists. And in Kiev, Ukraine, the group calls itself Borscht.
In the United States, there's Sprout in Seattle, Feast in Brooklyn, Stir in Wilmington, and Sunday Soup in Phoenixville, Pa.
PhillyStake.org is relatively new. The fourth dinner of its young life was Nov. 13 in the basement of the Ukie Club on North Franklin Street in Philadelphia.
In a twist on the phrase kitchen-table politics, the events always center on a meal.
"Sharing a meal creates community," Rose says.
The location always changes, so Stake won't become identified with a particular neighborhood. And while access to public transit is a deciding factor in where to hold each of the two dinners per year, most diners ride their bikes to the events.
The size of the space determines how many can attend; that, in turn, determines the size of the pot. Space at the Ukie club limited attendance to 150. The dinners always sell out, Rose says, and drew as many as 300 previously.
