Written by Anita
April 18, 2010
Most charity balls require guests to don stuffy formal attire, but the 7th Annual Blue Jeans Ball (featured on gregslistdc!) instead let guests sport their best denim duds.
Sponsored by the Capital Area Foodbank, the largest nonprofit hunger and nutrition education resource in the Washington Metropolitan area, the annual event constitutes the organization’s biggest fundraising effort. This year, the foodbank had something extra to celebrate—its 30th year of service. To commemorate the event, a Parade of Cakes contest allowed guests to vote on their favorite Capital Area Foodbank-inspired creation, donated by DC-area pastry chefs. Despite stiff competition, Cake FX's whimsical “The Nonperishables” cake took top honors.
The event included tastings from almost 30 DC-area restaurants and chefs. We loved Black’s Bar and Kitchen’s sweet corn cakes topped with refreshing beef tartare and newcomer Morso’s tender roasted spring lamb with yogurt and muhammara (a traditional Turkish mixture made from pomegranate, red peppers, and walnuts). PS7’s thinly sliced butternut squash layered with creamy goat cheese, tangy cranberry sauce, and sprinkled with sliced shallots and Ris’s light ricotta dumplings with tomato and eggplant fondue, spinach, and prosciutto also kept our palates buzzing. For dessert, don’t-miss items included Sequoia’s rich coconut panna cotta topped with tart passion fruit gelée and Occidental Grill and Seafood’s patriotic red, white, and blueberry parfait.
In addition to the delectable food and drink, the event offered an array of silent and live auction items, including a Gifford’s ice cream basket, an oil painting of Cashion’s Eat Place, and a Taberna del Alabardero tasting certificate.
The ball raised over $200,000 to support the Capital Area Foodbank’s food programs and exciting community-building initiatives, such as Kids Café, From the Ground Up, and the Brown Bag Program. But, unfortunately, more help is needed. Calls to the group’s emergency food hotline have increased dramatically since the economic downturn began, and partner agencies are reporting a 200 percent increase in demand since last year. One of the foodbank’s current challenges is capacity. Through its Capital Campaign, the Capital Area Foodbank hopes to raise enough money to double its total warehouse space so that it can accept and distribute a whopping 40 million pounds a year.
Hungry for more ways to help? You can tour the Capital Area Foodbank’s DC-area facility to learn more about the organization, volunteer your time on your own or with friends, donate funds, or buy a brick for a new volunteer center that will support an expanded foodbank facility. You also can support the Capital Area Foodbank in some creative ways, like participating in its Skip Lunch Feed a Bunch one-day event in September or joining the Pound for Pound Challenge, in which your pledge to lose weight helps raise funds for the foodbank. That’s something we can all sink our teeth into!
Most charity balls require guests to don stuffy formal attire, but the 7th Annual Blue Jeans Ball (featured on gregslistdc!) instead let guests sport their best denim duds.
Sponsored by the Capital Area Foodbank, the largest nonprofit hunger and nutrition education resource in the Washington Metropolitan area, the annual event constitutes the organization’s biggest fundraising effort. This year, the foodbank had something extra to celebrate—its 30th year of service. To commemorate the event, a Parade of Cakes contest allowed guests to vote on their favorite Capital Area Foodbank-inspired creation, donated by DC-area pastry chefs. Despite stiff competition, Cake FX's whimsical “The Nonperishables” cake took top honors.
The event included tastings from almost 30 DC-area restaurants and chefs. We loved Black’s Bar and Kitchen’s sweet corn cakes topped with refreshing beef tartare and newcomer Morso’s tender roasted spring lamb with yogurt and muhammara (a traditional Turkish mixture made from pomegranate, red peppers, and walnuts). PS7’s thinly sliced butternut squash layered with creamy goat cheese, tangy cranberry sauce, and sprinkled with sliced shallots and Ris’s light ricotta dumplings with tomato and eggplant fondue, spinach, and prosciutto also kept our palates buzzing. For dessert, don’t-miss items included Sequoia’s rich coconut panna cotta topped with tart passion fruit gelée and Occidental Grill and Seafood’s patriotic red, white, and blueberry parfait.
In addition to the delectable food and drink, the event offered an array of silent and live auction items, including a Gifford’s ice cream basket, an oil painting of Cashion’s Eat Place, and a Taberna del Alabardero tasting certificate.
The ball raised over $200,000 to support the Capital Area Foodbank’s food programs and exciting community-building initiatives, such as Kids Café, From the Ground Up, and the Brown Bag Program. But, unfortunately, more help is needed. Calls to the group’s emergency food hotline have increased dramatically since the economic downturn began, and partner agencies are reporting a 200 percent increase in demand since last year. One of the foodbank’s current challenges is capacity. Through its Capital Campaign, the Capital Area Foodbank hopes to raise enough money to double its total warehouse space so that it can accept and distribute a whopping 40 million pounds a year.
Hungry for more ways to help? You can tour the Capital Area Foodbank’s DC-area facility to learn more about the organization, volunteer your time on your own or with friends, donate funds, or buy a brick for a new volunteer center that will support an expanded foodbank facility. You also can support the Capital Area Foodbank in some creative ways, like participating in its Skip Lunch Feed a Bunch one-day event in September or joining the Pound for Pound Challenge, in which your pledge to lose weight helps raise funds for the foodbank. That’s something we can all sink our teeth into!
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