Fancy Food Show to donate 100,000 pounds of food to Bay area needy

Exhibitors at the 35th Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco plan to donate more than 100,000 pounds of specialty foods and beverages to Bay Area residents in need.

The donation was announced today by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, the show’s organizer.

The Winter Fancy Food Show will take place from January 17 – 19, 2010, at Moscone Center, where more than 1,400 exhibitors will present 80,000 products from 50 countries. The donation will be made at the close of the trade event, the largest marketplace for specialty food on the West Coast.

For the second year, the NASFT will work with Feed the Hungry to collect and distribute specialty products to a network of community programs. Last year, hundreds of volunteers collected and dispersed more than three tractor-trailer loads of food, including top-quality chocolate, cheese, pasta sauces and beverages.

“With so many Americans experiencing food insecurity today, our exhibitors are especially eager to help alleviate hunger. We are pleased they can supply products that typically don’t flow into food pantries,” said Ann Daw, president of the NASFT.

Stefan Radelich, executive director of Feed the Hungry, an international hunger relief organization, said the food from the Fancy Food Show will be “a beacon of hope and encouragement.”

Last year exhibitors provided enough food to help more than 5,400 area residents. “When they open their grocery bags at home or in a shelter and find foods of the highest quality mixed in, it takes ‘somebody cares’ to a whole new level,” Radelich said.

The NASFT, a not-for-profit trade association based in New York City, has a long commitment to food-related charities.

This year marks the 20th year that the NASFT has worked with City Harvest, one of New York City’s largest anti-hunger organizations. Following its Summer Fancy Food Show, exhibitors donated more than 200,000 pounds of food last June and helped keep one food pantry from shutting down.

Comments

[Maura Alia Badji]

very cool!