Rochester, N.Y. — Hundreds of people gathered at the Rochester Public Market Monday night to sample flavors from across the region while supporting the fight against hunger.
Foodlink hosted its 21st annual Festival of Food, the regional food bank’s signature fundraising event.
The sold-out festival brought together about 70 restaurants, wineries, breweries, bakeries and other local establishments for an all-you-can-eat-and-drink tasting experience.
Guests strolled through the Public Market sampling offerings from across Rochester and the Finger Lakes. The evening also featured live music from BB Dang, raffles and other activities.
Proceeds from the event support Foodlink’s work to address food insecurity throughout the region.
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“This is like a double bottom line win,” said Terra Keller, Foodlink’s COO and CFO. “One, it raises money for Foodlink, and tonight will bring in over $100,000 to support the purchase of food and other needs, to provide emergency food relief across the region. But two, it also raises awareness for a lot of locally owned businesses, and so tonight, maybe someone comes and finds a bite that they really enjoy, and now they’re going to take their family to that restaurant or tell friends about it.”
This year’s event followed the launch of “Festival of Food on the Road,” a series of smaller gatherings at local restaurants and businesses leading up to Monday night’s festival. Foodlink said the traveling series was designed to showcase local establishments while raising awareness of its mission.
Click here for details on how to support Foodlink.