The family of Wendell Berry, a famous author and advocate of sustainable agriculture, will visit Vashon for a fundraising dinner tomorrow evening.

Wendell and his wife Tanya Berry visited Vashon 10 years ago, and on Thursday, Tanya will return with her daughter Mary to meet local farmers and food advocates.

In addition to reconnecting with friends on the island, Tanya and Mary will introduce and raise funds for The Berry Center, which their family recently established to encourage the growth of agrarian communities across the country.

Mark Musick, who is helping organize the event, said he believes the evening will appeal to many islanders who are interested in local food and agriculture. Wendell was the catalyst for the Tilth movement in the Pacific Northwest, he noted, and the Vashon Island Growers Association  (VIGA) is a chapter of Washington Tilth.

“Wendell Berry was the inspiration for the Tilth movement, organic farming and the local economy movement for decades,” he said.

While Wendell, now 80, doesn’t travel as much and has a prior engagement in his home state of Kentucky, Mary was invited to be one of the keynote speakers at Tilth’s 40th Anniversary Conference this weekend in Vancouver, Washington. She and her mother agreed to make a stop on Vashon as well.

Musick said Mary and Tanya will inform islanders about the work of The Berry Center and in particular their new agrarian studies program at St. Catherine College in Kentucky. Their goal is to strengthen bonds between farmers and food advocates in their region and the Pacific Northwest.

“They’re looking forward to building bridges between the Northwest and their work in Kentucky,” he said.

The dinner, which will be at an island home, will feature Karen Biondo’s wood-fired pizza with toppings and salad from her garden.

The dinner will be a fundraiser for The Berry Center, and a minimum $25 donation per person will be requested. In addition, select books and poems autographed by Wendell Berry will be available in a silent auction.

The event will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the home of Katy Jo Steward and Steve Paschall, at 16335 Crescent Dr. SW. For more information, contact Merrilee Runyan at 463-6647.