Help the San Diego Food Bank Feed Hungry Kids with 2nd Annual “Food 4 Kids” Backpack Program Fundraiser

Here is a great cause I wanted to let San Diegans be aware of.  There are several ways to participate, including dining at one of the restaurants that is participating. This press release and photos were provided by Ashley Netzband of Bay Bird Inc Public Relations:

Local
San Diego chefs, restaurants, vendors, food writers, bloggers and media
personalities are coming together on behalf of the San Diego Food
Bank’s Food 4 Kids program for the 2nd annual Food 4 Kids Fundraiser and
Backpack Drive, a grassroots effort that officially launches today
across San Diego County. The event, the brainchild of local food writers
Caron Golden and Alice Robertson, helps the San Diego Food Bank feed
elementary school children on weekends and school holidays when the
school breakfast and lunch programs they rely on during the week are not
available.

During the
2008-2009 school year, the program served just 200 children in eight
schools throughout San Diego County. After last year’s fundraiser, the
San Diego Food Bank is now serving 525 children in 19 schools and is
looking to expand even further.  This year’s event will run for six
weeks, from July 15 through the end of August and features a new
component – the Dollar-a-Dish event originated last year by local chef
Matt Gordon of Urban Solace and his business partner Scott Watkins, who
suggested their restaurant could donate a dollar for every order of a
particular dish on the menu.

“We are ecstatic to be taking the fundraiser to a whole new level this
year. All we need is San Diego’s support! The need is enormous, and it’s
a project anyone can get behind,” says Golden.
Last year’s event ran for three weeks and included a monetary fundraiser
as well as a food and backpack collection at the Little Italy Mercato.
That effort garnered over $6000 and 1200 pounds of food, and Robertson
and Golden are hoping for an even more energetic outpouring of support
this year.

The 2010 “Food 4 Kids” fundraiser has three (3) main components:

•              Monetary Fundraiser:  A fundraising site has been set up on firstgiving.com/food4kids <https://firstgiving.com/food4kids>  <https://firstgiving.com/food4kids> <https://www.firstgiving.com/food4kids>
to allow interested individuals to make monetary donations, add
comments and keep track of the fundraiser’s progress. All donors are
eligible for prizes donated by local restaurants and businesses which
will be awarded by random drawing at the end of the event.   Inquiries
about the First Giving fundraising page or the prize drawing may be
directed to Alice Robertson at [email protected].

•              Backpack and Food Drive on August 21 at Little Italy Mercato:
On August 21, a food and backpack drive will be held at the Little
Italy Mercato.   Members of the community are asked to bring neutral
backpacks (as in no logos and preferably black or red) and kid-friendly
non-perishable foods (such as applesauce, cereal, fruit cups, mac ‘n
cheese, pretzels, etc., and other healthful foods) to the Little Italy
Mercato between 9 AM and 1 PM, where Food 4 Kids volunteers and Food
Bank personnel will be on hand to collect them.     Inquiries about this
event can be directed to either Alice Robertson at [email protected] or Caron Golden at [email protected] <mailto:caron@goldenwriting.com> .

•              Dollar-a-Dish Program: August 1 – August 31: A
“Dollar-a-Dish” event is set to run throughout the month of August at
participating restaurants. These restaurants will select one of their
best selling menu items and will contribute $1 to the Food 4 Kids
program for every order of that dish sold during the month of August.
At present, 33 restaurants have signed on to participate including: Alchemy,
Bencotto, Café Chloe, Casa de Bandini, Casa Guadalajara, Casa de Pico,
Cosmopolitan Restaurant, Cowboy Star, Croce’s, Cucina Urbana, Dining
Details (Catering,) Gaglione Brothers, George’s at the Cove, Hilton
Garden Inn – Del Mar, JRDN, JSix, Kensington Grill, Lotsa Pasta,
Nine-Ten, O’Brothers, Pizza Fusion, Playa Grill, Ritual Tavern, Royal
India, Sessions Public, Soleluna Café, SoNo Trading Company, Starlite,
Stingaree, Terra, The Red Door, Urban Solace and Zenbu. Inquiries about the Dollar-a-Dish event may be directed to Caron Golden at [email protected] <mailto:caron@goldenwriting.com> .

For more information on the San Diego Food Bank and their Food 4 Kids Program please visit  https://www.sandiegofoodbank.org/programs/food4kids, or to donate visit https://www.firstgiving.com/food4kids