Ultimate Tailgate Party 2022 – It was good to be back!
On Sunday, October 16, over 250 guests gathered at the Charles River Speedway’s Garage B for the first in-person Ultimate Tailgate Party since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was energizing to see so many of our supporters together again, raising over $300,000 – enough for Spoonfuls’ to provide food for over half a million meals.
We connected over tailgate-inspired bites and beverages from 15 of the area’s best chefs – and they did not disappoint. From Colin Lynch’s All Beef Chicago Dogs, to Joanne Chang’s Homemade Football Oreos, to Alyssa Mikiko DiPasquale’s Sake bar, each chef and beverage team brought their A-game!
Comedian and storyteller, Bethany Van Delft, took the stage as our emcee. Spoonfuls’ Founder/CEO, Ashley Stanley, reflected on the organization’s growth over the course of the past few years. And Hilda Maldonado, Program Director at Spoonfuls’ nonprofit partner, Green Island Neighborhood Center in Worcester, offered a glimpse into the impact of Spoonfuls’ deliveries for the programs and people who count on them… “No matter how long it might take to see results, everything we do can change people’s lives to do better. It’s all about making the difference, setting goals with our clients, and working towards them. Best of all is that in the end, we will be offering opportunities.”
The evening drew support through a live ask, silent auction, raffle, and grocery bag wall, where guests could sponsor a bag of groceries for a family facing food insecurity. A special thank you to VDA, one of our event sponsors, for bringing our food rescue and hunger relief mission into the room by helping with our creative activations. From building our Fact vs. Fiction and Grocery Bag walls to managing all our lighting and sound needs, we’re grateful for their support.
From individuals to our business and foundation supporters, the essential funds raised through this event ensure we can continue to get healthy, fresh food to people facing food insecurity.
PS – Weren’t able to make it to this year’s Tailgate but still want to support Spoonfuls’ work? Give here.
Special shout-out to our sponsors for making this event possible and enabling our food rescue work: Fleet level sponsors ($50,000), Bank of America and Roche Bros., Truckload level sponsors ($25,000), Tito’s Handmade Vodka and VDA, Pallet level sponsors ($10,000), Andy & Mariann Youniss, Arbella Insurance Foundation, and Toast.org, Banana Box level sponsors ($5,000), Boston Medical Center, Brookline Bank, Cafco, Cambridge Savings Bank, EY-Parthenon, PEAK Event Services, Garage B at the Charles River Speedway, and TJX.