Edible Insect Eating Event

United Methodist Church of Bridgewater pastor will eat bugs to help stop the spread of malaria!

 Sunday May 31, 12-2pm

UMC of Bridgewater

35 School St.

BRIDGEWATER -Between malaria, dengue fever and other mosquito-borne diseases, approximately 725,000 people die unnecessarily every year. A person dies from malaria every 60 seconds. Fortunately, there are small things that can help make a huge impact in the fight against malaria. One simple way to prevent the spread of malaria is the use of mosquito nets.

Pastor Ken Mantler of Bridgewater United Methodist Church wants to help in the fight to eradicate malaria in Africa. He has offered to eat an edible insect for every $10 donation (the cost of one mosquito net) made to the Imagine No Malaria campaign of the United Methodist Church.

"Together - we can imagine no malaria. I am willing to eat bugs - any size or flavor, to bring attention to this life saving mission," said Mantler

The public is invited to BUMC, 35 School St. in Bridgewater, Sunday, May 31 from 12 to 2 p.m. to watch Mantler dine on the edible insects including crickets, larvettes, locusts, mealworms and chocolate covered ants. There will even be extra critters available for the public to try. (Those who have shellfish allergies are not encouraged to sample the insects).

The Great Bug Buffet begins at 12 p.m. with a free hot dog lunch, games for the children, crafts and musical entertainment. The insect eating commences at 1 p.m. While the event is free, donations are suggested to Imagine No Malaria which will purchase the mosquito nets to be sent to countries affected by malaria.

All donations raised at the Great Bug Buffet will be matched by the United Methodist Foundation of New England, thus doubling the amount of mosquito nets that will be able to be purchased.

Unlike many other diseases that are awaiting a cure, malaria was eliminated in the U.S. in the 1950s. However, in Sub-Saharan Africa, malaria continues to kill a person every 60 seconds. But there is hope. Imagine No Malaria is part of a global partnership of the United Methodist Church and its partners to help eradicate the disease.

Malaria is caused by a parasite, which is transmitted to humans through the bite of the female anopheles mosquito. This mosquito flies and feeds at night (which is why bed nets are an effective prevention tool). 

When an infected mosquito bites a person, the parasite enters the bloodstream and heads for the liver, where it multiplies. It then re-enters the bloodstream, attacking red blood cells. Typically, someone with malaria experiences a high fever, chills, joint pain and headaches. Left untreated, symptoms eventually advance to organ failure. Nearly 90 percent of malaria's victims are children under the age of 5 and pregnant women.

For more information about the Imagine No Malaria campaign, visit ImagineNoMalaria.org

Contact:  Pastor Ken Mantler

(413) 695-4660; ken.mantler@gmail.com

Or Kathy Vaci, publicity, Missions Committee of BUMC

(440) 796-1377; KathyVaci@yahoo.com

Bridgewater Public Library

Tuesday, June 2 at 7pm

The Bridgewater Public Library is happy to announce that famed mentalist Rory Raven, author of Haunted Providence: Strange Tales from the Smallest State, will speak at the library on Tuesday, June 2 at 7:00p.m.

Neither a psychic nor a magician, Rory offers a new and compelling experience unlike anything you've seen before. Mr. Raven will read your mind, bend your spoon, and leave you talking about it forever.

Brainstorming: An Act of Mentalism! is an amazing show that's been called "highly entertaining, funny, and clever"..... Penn and Teller, Kreskin, and Uri Gellar all rolled into one." (Charlie Hall, "The Ocean State Follies"). What is a mentalist? A mentalist is a theatrical mind-reader: a performer who, using a variety of techniques, is able to produce results that would only seem possible by psychic or paranormal means.

Brainstorming is free and open to the public. It is funded by the Friends of the Bridgewater Public Library and will be held in the library's Flora T. Little Meeting Room on the lower level. Parking is available in back of the library, located at 15 South Street.