SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County hosted it’s annual Chefs’ Dinner on Sept. 12, raising enough money for more than 800,000 meals for its Food For Children program.
The event is one of Second Harvest’s biggest events and fundraisers of the year. This year it featured a six-course meal prepared by notable Santa Cruz County chefs and paired with wines donated by local vintners, as well as a silent auction at the Holy Cross Church Annex in Santa Cruz.
Featured chefs were Peter Henry of The Cremer House, Ella King of Ella’s at the Airport, Steve Wilson of Café Cruz, Jeffrey Wall of Alderwood Santa Cruz, Brad Briske of Home and Anthony Kresge of Chef Anthony.
“The food was incredible,” said Second Harvest’s Senior Marketing and Annual Fund Manager Bryn Calderon. “It was beautifully prepared. Everyone was really happy with the results.”
The award-winning Food For Children Program marks 21 years this year. It provides fresh produce and food as well as nutrition advice to 5,000 children and their families each month at 50 sites throughout Santa Cruz County year-round.
“As chefs, we frequently serve people who can afford to go out for a nice meal on a regular basis,” Chef Steve Wilson, who started the event in 2001. “We are personally affected, though, by the knowledge that there are many in our community who cannot even afford the most basic necessities… This is our way of giving back.”
Second Harvest thanked its donors, volunteers, chefs and sponsors that attended Thursday’s event.
“In order for kids to grow up, to succeed in school and life, they need good, healthy food,” said Calderon. “That’s just a fact of life.”
For information about Food For Children, including a list of recurring distribution points visit https://www.thefoodbank.org/find-foodcomida/nutrition-programs/food-for-children/.
