To kick off the weekend, Lettuce spent two nights in Portland raising awareness and money for Full Plates Full Potential, an organization whose mission is to eliminate child hunger in Maine. The two-night event was spearheaded by saxophonist Ryan Zoidis, who is an active food and wine enthusiast in his native city of Portland.

On Thursday night, a pre-party took place at Oxbow’s Brewing that saw Nigel Hall & Friends, which was essentially Lettuce plus members of Nigel Hall‘s solo band, playing loose improvisational music with family and friends. The VIP “Lett Us Eat” event included an oyster bar, poutine station, and summer paella crafted by James Beard Foundation Award Winning Chef Rob Evan’s talented culinary team from the new Duckfat Frites Shack. On Friday night, the psychedelic funk warriors headlined the beautiful Thompson’s Point overlooking Fore River, following performances from Galactic and Jaw Gems.

Full Plates Full Potential’s mission is to end child hunger in Maine where 87,000 kids struggle to access the reliable, nutritious meals they need to thrive. 15.8 percent of Maine households, or nearly 200,000 individuals, are food insecure. It’s estimated that about 1 in 5 kids in Maine don’t know when or where they will get their next meal. By removing barriers that keep these children from benefitting from the proven, effective, efficient nutrition programs for which they are eligible, Full Plates Full Potential connects Maine kids with existing nutrition programs and builds new ones when needed across the state. They support proven initiatives like the school lunch program and seek to expand lesser accessed programs like breakfast and summer meals programs. For more information, head to the website.

This upcoming week, Lettuce will head to New York City’s Blue Note Jazz Club, the West Village room where countless legendary musicians have taken the stage since its opening in 1981, for a five-night run. Lettuce will play 12 sets from Wednesday, June 27th through Sunday, July 1st. Head here for tickets.

Check out the photos from Friday night’s sunset-filled show below, courtesy of photographer Vic Brazen.