In 2013, 170 volunteers put in 6,900 hours collecting leftover food from Denver-area venues, events, caterers, restaurants and other food distributors.
In so doing, they saved 289,444 pounds of perfectly good meat, fruit, vegetables, bread and desserts from being tossed into landfills. It was enough to provide 1.1 million-plus servings to 5,000 individuals per day at 50 agencies across the metro area that serve children, veterans, domestic-violence survivors, the mentally challenged and the low-income elderly.
Or, as founder/executive director Arlan Preblud says: “We put food on the tables of those who need it most.”
For the third year, money to continue this effort was raised at Fill A Plate for Hunger, a walkabout supper held at Denver Botanic Gardens.
Presented by , the fundraiser began with signature cocktails mixed by bartenders from and ; wines; and hors d’oeuvres crafted by chefs from MM Local, Rioja and culinary students at .
Jeremy Bronson, owner of and vice president of the We Don’t Waste board, staffed the benefit with servers from , , , , , and .
The small-plates dinner enjoyed by a crowd that included Dana Crawford, Martin and Gail Berliner, Gretchen Bunn, Walter and Christie Isenberg and Jeff Hermanson featured New York strip crostini from jumbo shrimp courtesy of ; and oysters on the half-shell from .
Others supporting the cause were board chair Bruce Kirchhoff and his wife, Andrea; comedian Adam Cayton-Holland, who conducted the live auction; former Denverites Kyla and Roger Thompson; Boettcher Foundation chief Tim Schultz and his wife, Debbie Jessup; interior designers Marc Roth and Jim Pfister; former Denver City Councilwoman Susan Barnes Gelt and Bob Silber; Brian Fun, a past member of the We Don’t Waste board, and his partner, Charles Jordy; Carol Roger; Jim Bien and Judi Newman Bien; We Don’t Waste operations director Scott VanDaele and his wife, Kate; clothing designer Brooks Luby and her husband, Chester; Peggy Beck; Margaret and Trevor Brown; Mary Smith and Patrick Brown; and master of ceremonies Ed Greene from CBS4 with his wife, Barbara.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, davidson@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joannedavidson
Moonbeam Harvest weathers a storm
Of all the days for Mother Nature to throw a hissy fit: Clayton Early Learning’s signature fundraiser, Moonbeam Harvest, was to have been held outdoors, but an unexpected drop in temperature, along with a steady drizzle, meant that everything had to be moved indoors. Joanne Davidson has details in the Mile High Style blog: blogs.denverpost.com/style
