Take-home pasta dinner raises funds for historic landmark’s restoration, thanks to donors, community support

ATASCADERO — In celebration of Mother’s Day, the Atascadero Printery Foundation (Foundation) invited the community to honor mothers and mother figures through a take-home meal fundraiser that also supported the restoration of one of Atascadero’s most cherished historic landmarks.

On Saturday, May 10, the Foundation hosted a Mother’s Day Pasta Dinner Fundraiser, with all proceeds benefiting the ongoing rehabilitation of the Atascadero Printery. The Foundation is striving to transform the historic structure into a community center for arts, education, culture, and local events.

Each meal package served four and included a homemade pasta meal with a choice of meat sauce or a vegetarian option, Brian’s Bread, a crisp green salad, and dessert. The meals were prepared for easy baking at home, offering families a meaningful and convenient way to celebrate the holiday together.

The fundraiser began during the COVID pandemic as a way the Foundation could raise money without breaking any protocols.

“We came up with this idea because the restaurants were all closed. We would do this; everybody order this nice meal for mom,” said Karen McNamara, the Foundation’s president. “People literally just drove up. We put it in the back seat of their car so there was no human contact, and they drove off with their food.”

However, now that the pandemic is long over and the city is bustling with activities and restaurants, the Foundation is ready to shift to a different type of Mother’s Day fundraiser. The community can look forward to those details at a later date.

But thanks to a wonderful donor who wishes to remain anonymous, the Mother’s Day fundraiser cost is all paid for making the event a 100% profit for the Foundation.

“Bless her heart,” McNamara said.

Grocery Outlet also contributed to the cause by donating all of the salads that are included. 

The event also featured flower bouquets available for purchase on-site from the Questers, providing a heartfelt addition to the Mother’s Day gifts.

The California Questers, along with their local chapter, have also been a very large and dedicated supporter in restoring the Printery. The group, with chapters located throughout the state, is an organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of historical objects for the benefit of today and tomorrow. It has personally taken on the Printery as one of its restoration projects. 

The Atascadero Printery has been adopted as the new State Project after efforts to restore the previous project, the Benicia State Capitol, proved unproductive. Originally built in 1915 by E.G. Lewis as the first civic building of the Atascadero Colony, the Printery played a key role in promoting the suffragette movement and land sales through various publications. Over the years, the building served multiple purposes, including as a school, sheriff’s substation, Masonic Lodge, and school district office. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Printery has stood vacant since the 2003 earthquake, until the Atascadero Printery Foundation purchased it in 2017. The Foundation has made significant progress repairing structural damage and cleaning up the property, with future plans to transform it into a community center focused on arts, education, and history. The next phase includes completing a structural repair plan essential for securing funding and fully restoring the building.

The Questers were responsible for raising the funds to replace the Printery’s front doors and have helped replace and restore some of the over 60 windows in the building. Their next project on the building is restoring the damaged columns in front of the building. 

“They’ve been a huge blessing to us. Questers [provides] moral support and all of their work to raise funds to do things for us,” McNamara says.

This Friday, May 16, the Colony Cinemas is hosting a private showing of “Playing in Unison,” a documentary film ofhow San Luis Obispo City, Cal Poly, and all community members raised funds to build the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center. Following the film, there will be comments and discussion, and hopes for how the film can inspire the Printery’sjourney back to its glory.

Then on Wednesday, May 28, the Foundation will be holding a meeting at 12 p.m. at City Hall that is open to the public. The goal of the meeting will be to gather thoughts onto paper and take input for how the Foundation can make more progress with the restoration.

For more information on the Atascadero Printery Foundation, visit atascaderoprintery.org

Feature Image: The California Questers, along with their local Agua Caliente chapter, have been a very large and dedicated supporter in restoring the Printery, and were present at the May 10 Mother’s Day Fundraiser. Photo by Rick Evans