Patina 250 this week hosted the inaugural Hungry to Help, a taste-around charity event benefiting FeedMore WNY, the new nonprofit formed by the alliance of the Food Bank of WNY and Meals on Wheels for WNY.
The event brought together several of Buffalo’s best chefs in the restaurant’s outdoor courtyard, which is operated by Delaware North’s Patina Restaurant Group and located at the company’s global headquarters in Buffalo. One hundred percent of ticket sales – more than $18,000 in total – were donated to FeedMore WNY and its mission to provide nutritious food, friendship and skills training for Western New York neighbors in need.
“Delaware North has called Western New York ‘home’ for more than 100 years, serving the community and our guests daily at operating locations such as Patina 250 and The Westin Buffalo,” said Lou Jacobs, Co-CEO of Delaware North and a board member of FeedMore WNY. “By supporting FeedMore WNY through the Hungry to Help fundraiser, we can expand our reach throughout the community, ensuring that all of our neighbors have access to food and necessary social services.”
Nine chefs participated in Hungry to Help, including Evan Wargo, Patina 250’s chef de cuisine, and Stephen Forman, executive chef of KeyBank Center for Delaware North Sportservice. The event also featured eight local and premium beverage partners.
“We are thrilled to partner with Patina 250 and Delaware North on this wonderful event to benefit the hungry children, families and seniors who rely on FeedMore WNY,” said Lisa Woodring, chief development officer for FeedMore WNY. “One in eight individuals in FeedMore WNY’s service area struggles with hunger. We are fortunate to have dedicated community partners who are ‘hungry to help’ make a difference in the lives of our neighbors in need.”
Founded earlier this year, FeedMore WNY targets underserved populations with services, including its Meals on Wheels program, which provides nourishing meals and companionship to homebound individuals, and its Food Bank program, which distributes nutritious food to those in need through its network of 317 partner hunger-relief agencies. The organization currently is working on creating additional services to fill unmet needs in the community, such as summer feeding programs for children, more comprehensive senior feeding programs and a community kitchen that will double as a
workforce development training center.