Cultivate Food Rescue hosts 8th annual ‘Taste of Hope’ fundraiser at the Century Center

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – Cultivate Food Rescue held its annual ‘Taste of Hope’ fundraiser at the Century Center in South Bend on Thursday night.

As it does each year, the gathering held food tastings from some of the region’s top chefs.

There was also an assortment of live music.

Perhaps most importantly, the event provides all of us with an opportunity to learn about and support Cultivate Food Rescue’s important mission.

Cultivate Food Rescue salvages over a million pounds of food each year by cooking it, packaging it, freezing it and feeding children.

“We’re fundraising for food security and we have area restaurants here giving a sampling of their dishes, then we have guests coming in to sample those dishes. All in an effort to fund raise for our hungry neighbors,” said Fay Flournoy a donor and grant engagement officer.

Todd Zeltwanger the director of fund development said that they are serving 12,000 meals a week.

“We’re serving 2,000 students this year times six that’s 12,000 meals a week all put together by volunteers all made with food that would have been thrown away or wasted,” said Zeltwanger.

The gathering was the 8th Taste of Hope.

Over those eight years Cultivate Food Rescue has salvaged over ten million pounds of food that provided nearly two million frozen meals to hungry people.