'Farm to Table' dinner in Warren will benefit Columbia Pacific Food Bank

In an effort to fight hunger locally, the Columbia Pacific Food Bank is hosting a special fundraising event.

In its premiere Farm to Table dinner entitled “Nourish,” food will be served and raffles will be held from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, at the St. Helens Golf Course in Warren.

Chrissy Marquardt, marketing and events manager at the food bank, said, “We’re reaching out to the public to formally invite them to join us in celebrating locally grown foods from the farm to your table.”

A $100 ticket will support the Columbia Pacific Food Bank’s mission to fight hunger insecurity in Columbia County. The ticket will include a five-course meal, a wine and whiskey tasting and live music from the Sweetwater Band. Raffle prizes will be offered at the August event.

Those who attend can enjoy picnic-style games, like cornhole, and an auction for the food bank.

Marquardt explained the significance of the farm to table theme.

“We are working with our caterers and local farms to basically be able to donate or provide locally-sourced foods that are grown in Columbia County, to be able to be included as a part of the cuisine,” she said, noting, for example, that Mizuna Gardens of Warren will be donating microgreens.

Marquardt anticipates that this will be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, fundraiser of the year.

“Everyone is familiar with the Hunger Run and Empty Bowls, and we’ve done other events in the past, like Cooking for Hunger," she said. "So we wanted to do something that really more speaks to the theme of what we do, especially since we do have a fresh produce pantry, where do get quite a bit of fresh produce donated to the food bank.”

The Farm to Table “Nourish” dinner comes at a good time for the food bank, according to Marquardt.

“This is not just specific to the Columbia Pacific Food Bank, but across the nation, cash donations and food donations drop dramatically over the summer,” she said. “That’s because everybody is out of school. Everybody is on vacation, so we don’t receive as many donations, so we need food all year long.”

Marquardt added, “We tend to see a mass influx of food drives and donations for the holiday season … We absolutely encourage more donations during the summer.”

For the farm to table dinner, Marquardt said, “Tickets are limited to 150 people so if you want to go, you have to jump on it right away.”

Marquardt is pleased with the venue for the upcoming 2024 fundraiser.

“One thing that we are really excited about is that we’re hosting this at the St. Helens Golf Course, which is under new ownership and is being renovated,” she said. “We’re just excited that there’s another potential event space that is very much needed in Columbia County.”

Ticket and registration information can be found at www.cpfoodbank.org . The deadline to secure a spot is July 27.