Tag: Feeding America

Family Meal Benefit dinner in El Paso to benefit El Pasoans Fighting Hunger

El Paso native chefs return home for an evening of cooking and camaraderie, all for a good cause. Photo: Google

On Sunday, November 13, ten chefs will return home to El Paso to host “Family Meal,” a special collaborative benefit dinner. Proceeds from ticket sales will go to El Pasoans Fighting Hunger, a group actively procuring and distributing food to combat the hunger crisis in the region.

“El Pasoans Fighting Hunger (EPFH) is El Paso’s only food bank and a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief network. The Food Bank is the distribution center for over 132 partner pantries across the borderland region and collaborative hub for hunger initiatives that assists in SNAP applications and nutrition education. EPFH also distributes healthy and nutritious food to 235 client choice mobile pantries, which provide food to underserved/unserved communities. We currently serve 200,000 food insecure people with 1 in every 3 children and 1 in every 4 adults unsure of where their next meal will come from.” -EPFH

The evening is designed to expose local and expat talent—chefs, artists, and musicians—while bringing El Paso natives together for an evening of cooking and camaraderie, all supporting a good cause. The event will be held at Ardovino’s Desert Crossing (1 Ardovinos Dr, Sunland Park, NM 88063), and tickets are available at elpasofamilymeal.com. Tickets for Family Meal are $250 per person and will include six courses in a family-style setting along with passed appetizers, wine pairings, coffee, and a chef demo.

“Family Meal is an important part of the day for restaurants. It is a way to bond with your family away from home. This benefit dinner, in turn, is meant to transform that experience and help our extended (local and migrant) families as well as bring to light the vast amount of talent and generosity this city has to offer. El Paso is one part of a large international and bi-national metropolis encompassing Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and Las Cruces, New Mexico. What affects one family affects us all.” – Mixtli Chef Rico Torres

Confirmed chefs include:
Rico Torres, Founder, Food and Wine Best New Chef 2018, James Beard Best Chef Semi-Finalist 2019, Best Restaurant 2022, Mixtli (San Antonio, TX)
Andre Natera, Author and Podcast Host, Chef’s PSA (Austin, TX)
Alan Delgado, Star Chefs Rising Star 2020, (New York, NY)
Gabe Erales, Top Chef-18 Winner, Bacalar, (Austin, TX)
Jaime Daniel Calleros, Executive Chef, Ardovino’s Desert Crossing (Sunland Park, NM)
Jake Rojas, Tallulah’s Taqueria (Providence, RI)
Omar Flores, James Beard Semi-Finalist Best New Restaurant 2013, Best Chef Southwest 2015, 2016, Whistle Britches and Muchacho (Dallas, TX)
Melissa Valenzuela, Mixtli, (San Antonio, TX)
Andres Padilla, Chicago Tribune’s Dining Out Award 2015, Opening Executive Chef at Plaza Hotel/Ambar 2020, Culinary Director of Cruz Blanca (Chicago, IL)
Emiliano Marentes, James Beard Outstanding Chef Semi-Finalist 2022, El Emi, (El Paso, TX)

The Native El Paso chefs will return for a weekend of camaraderie and cooking under the scenic landscapes at Ardovino’s Desert Crossing, which features views of all three cities. The evening will include live-fire cooking, wine, specialty cocktails, live music, plus a special Chef Demo from Top Chef-18 Winner, Gabe Erales. The event will also feature a live auction, farewell coffee service, and a photo opportunity with the talent.

Whataburger celebrates Orange Spirit Week 2021 and 71st anniversary

Whataburger will host its first ever systemwide fundraiser to benefit Feeding America®. Photo: Whataburger, used with permission.

Orange Spirit Week is Whataburger’s annual tradition of honoring its legacy while giving back to the communities it serves. This year, in honor of its 71st anniversary, Whataburger is partnering with Feeding America® to help provide at least 2.5 million meals through local food banks across Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. (Whataburger, 2021)

From Sunday, August 8, through Sunday, August 15, customers who donate a minimum of $1 at any of the more than 850 Whataburger restaurants across these ten states will receive a thank-you coupon for a free Whataburger with the purchase of a medium fry and 32-ounce drink. A $1 donation helps provide at least ten meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks. Whataburger guarantees a minimum donation of $250,000 with no maximum set.

Every dollar donated during the week-long fundraiser will go to Feeding America and its member food banks in the local communities. It is all in support of Whataburger Feeding Student Success, the company’s signature community program operating at the intersection of food insecurity and education and focusing on helping students at all levels of education achieve their goals and dreams.

The 2021 celebration will kick off in San Antonio on Sunday, August 8, with a drive-through teacher appreciation event at The DoSeum. As part of the Whataburger Feeding Student Success program and Whataburger’s commitment to providing support for education in the communities it serves, the event will include classroom supply and summer swag giveaways for teachers with whom student success begins. Teachers will also have the opportunity to participate in drawings for classroom grants and receive free meals from the Whataburger Food Truck, which debuted during last year’s Orange Spirit Week, among other fun activities. Teachers must show their school IDs for entry into the event.

During the week, Whataburger employees, known as Family Members, will assemble and deliver 10,000 school supply bags to local organizations across ten states.

“Feeding America is doing such amazing work through their network of food banks. All of us at Whataburger are looking forward to joining our customers in showing support for them during Orange Spirit Week. We invite our friends and neighbors to visit their local Whataburger throughout the week and donate to help keep our children nourished and on the path to bright futures.” – Ed Nelson, Whataburger CEO

The magic of Whataburger started on Aug. 8, 1950, in a tiny burger stand in Corpus Christi, Texas. An entrepreneur named Harmon Dobson set out to build a burger so delicious that customers would take that first bite and say, “What a burger!” Today, Whataburger is known for delicious burgers, big flavor, and the brand’s pride in taking care of its guests, communities. and employees, known as Family Members. Orange Spirit Week celebrates its founding and the foundation for success that Dobson created. Today, Whataburger is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, with more than 850 locations across its 14-state footprint, and sales of more than $2.8 billion annually. Whataburger has 50,000 Family Members (employees) and more than sixty million customers who like to customize their Whataburgers just the way they like it.