Jacksonville FOODFIGHT packs a wallop in the fight against hunger, raises $92,000

The 22nd Annual Jacksonville FOODFIGHT once again made its mark on the fight against hunger – raising more than $92,000, or the equivalent of 644,000 meals for people in need, when it was held on June 7 at the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

More than 1,200 attendees enjoyed samplings from 65 of the First Coast’s finest restaurants, caterers and beverage wholesalers at the Touchdown Club East, spending three hours at Jacksonville’s biggest party of the year. A silent auction, live entertainment and exciting motorcycle raffle rounded out the evening.

“FOODFIGHT once again was a wonderful event that brought a lot of folks out to have a good time in support of a great cause,” said Eddie Fink, chairman of the FOODFIGHT committee. “It was a great night in Jacksonville with , and our thanks goes out to the restaurants for their support of the Second Harvest and the work it does in our community to feed families in need.”

This year’s event also saw a return of the Jaguar Suites Level VIP area, which featured 12 restaurants and other vendors in a private hospitality area for an exclusive opportunity to tour the owners’ suites and enjoy tastings offered by some of Jacksonville’s finest food and drink establishments. Participating suites were The Adrian Pickett Gallery, Bank of America/Merrill Lynch (hospitality), The Capital Grille, Coastal Spine & Pain Center (hospitality), Flippin’ Good Cookies, Health, Wellness & Fitness Professionals (hospitality), Jacksonville Jaguars, Levy Restaurants, PRP Wine International, Steve Johnson Custom Builders (hospitality), TD Bank (hospitality), TPC Sawgrass and The Wine Bar.

Second Harvest specially recognizes the following 2012 Sponsors: Chase, Winn-Dixie, Shepherd of the Woods Lutheran Church, Chick-fil-A at Roosevelt Square, Coordinated Benefits Group, Clearchannel Radio, Futch Printing & Mailing, Pepsi, SMG, Team Black, Robert Conrad Graphic Design, PRI Productions, Advanced Disposal, Michael Neviaser LLC and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The restaurants, beverage wholesalers/distributors and FOODFIGHT committee volunteer time, food and staff to come together in friendly competition to “take a bite out of hunger” by raising funds and awareness for Second Harvest North Florida. The event was started in 1989 by a local committee that has helped build it into one of the premier annual party experiences for a good cause. Eddie Fink is the committee chairman, while Bob Conrad handles graphic design and Jim Mace manages operations and logistics of the event.

Since 1989, the Jacksonville FOODFIGHT has raised nearly $1.1 million in the fight against hunger – a total that translates into 7.7 million meals provided for people in need throughout north Florida.