Ultimate Tailgate Party 2019 Was A Huge Success
On Sunday, November 3, over 450 guests gathered at Cruiseport Boston for the 9th Annual Ultimate Tailgate Party to support Lovin’ Spoonfuls. All were treated to tailgate-inspired dishes from the Boston area’s best restaurants, while raising over $450,000 to support our mission, which will provide over 1 million meals to members of our community.
This record breaking evening saw generous contributions through a Live Ask conducted by Host Andrew Zimmern, a 50/50 raffle, our new grocery wall featuring bags that guests could sponsor for $250 to feed a family of four through the end of the year, and a spectacular silent auction. These vital funds will help us expand our programs, rescue more food, and serve more communities!
This event would not have been possible without the support of more than 25 generous sponsors, including Presenting Sponsor Whole Foods Market, Gold sponsors Toast and Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and numerous additional sponsors and event partners.
Board Member Andy Youniss (and 2017 Thomas M. Menino award honoree) and Founder and Executive Director Ashley Stanley kicked off the evening with a spirited welcome, followed by the presentation of the 6th annual Thomas M. Menino Award to Baldor Specialty Foods.
Later in the evening, Culinary Board Member Andrew Zimmern addressed guests – reminding us all how food connects communities and how the work we do is needed, not only to feed people, but to connect people. Next, a client of our beneficiary agency Needham Food Pantry spoke about her experience receiving food from our deliveries, and the incredible impact the food we provide has had on her family and their independence.
To close the speaking program, JP Scioville, Senior Marketing Specialist of Community Engagement, of Whole Foods Market presented Lovin’ Spoonfuls with a check for $77,154 from the recent Community Giving 5% Day on October 17, when our 17 partner locations of Whole Foods Market in Massachusetts donated 5% of their proceeds from that day.
We are so grateful to the chefs, beverage teams, sponsors, speakers, volunteers, and everyone who made the evening a resounding success! Each truck we put on the road rescues more than 500,000 pounds of fresh, healthy food each year — and we keep them on the road with your support. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more updates, news, and photos.
2020 is going to be a significant year, and we hope you’ll be a part of what’s coming up. We hope you will follow along and join us!
♥ In January, we celebrate 10 years of Lovin’ Spoonfuls!
♥ We’re excited to introduce a new volunteer program–opportunities will be announced throughout the year via our newsletter. Click here to sign up.
♥ On March 25, we are hosting the 2nd annual Chef’s Table: ‘A Night on Nantucket – In Boston’ featuring our favorite Nantucket chefs. For information or sponsorship opportunities, please contact erin@spoonfuls.org.
♥ On April 20, we are cheering for our Boston Marathon team of runners: Ryan Cohlhepp, Josie Fox, and Robert Phillips. You can support them here.
To stay apprised of our updates, join our newsletter list by visiting:bit.ly/lovinnews.
And to get even more involved, we invite you to join our Friends of Lovin’ Spoonfuls group! This passionate group of membership-based supporters contributes through direct support, volunteerism, and more. For more information, visit bit.ly/friendsofLS.