FRANKFORT, Ky. (February 14, 2024) – The sixth annual Serving Up Solutions benefit dinner took place on Wednesday, January 31, to raise money to address hunger problems across the state. Proceeds will go to Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry, Glean Kentucky and Feeding Kentucky. These three groups serve hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians each year by connecting schools, families and communities with healthy and nutritious food. This year’s dinner set a new fundraising record of approximately $48,000 through the support of numerous sponsors and organizations.
Members of the Kentucky General Assembly served as celebrity wait staff for event guests, offering attendees hors d’oeuvres and dinner throughout the evening. Rep. DJ Johnson (R-Owensboro), Rep. Phillip Pratt (R-Georgetown), Rep. Chad Aull (D-Lexington), Sen. Walker Thomas (R-Hopkinsville), and Sen. Lindsey Tichenor (R-Smithfield) participated. Rep. Cherlynn Stevenson (D-Lexington), Sen. Robin L. Webb (D-Grayson), Rep. Rachel Roberts (D-Newport), Rep. Steve Bratcher (R-Elizabethtown), Sen. Brandon Smith (R-Hazard), and Rep. Jim Gooch Jr. (R-Providence) were also in attendance.
“It is a bi-partisan issue,” said Melissa McDonald, Executive Director of Feeding Kentucky. “If we can all see them as neighbors, it will make a difference in our state. Hunger isn’t going away. If anything, I know for a fact from our food banks, that Kentuckians can do more. It is getting harder and harder every day for our food banks to receive donations whether that be in the form of a dollar, a check, a can or even vegetables from a farm.”
“The Kentucky Department of Agriculture stands ready to fight hunger and malnutrition on all levels throughout the Commonwealth and we appreciate the support from people in this room to continue that fight alongside us,” said Jon Copley, representative on behalf of Commissioner of Agriculture Jonathan Shell.
The benefit dinner was supported by donations from several organizations across Kentucky, including sponsors, Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), Kentucky Farm Bureau, Anthem Medicaid, Aetna, Farm Credit Mid-America, Kentucky Dream Center and the University of Kentucky’s Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
The event sponsors contributed an unprecedented combined $48,000 to the Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry, Glean Kentucky and Feeding Kentucky to provide meals to Kentuckians facing food insecurity. Since 2018, Serving Up Solutions has raised over $150,000 for families across the Commonwealth.
“To those who spend their professional lives work on this, it’s not about the money, it’s about changing lives,” said Dr. Ryan Quarles, President of KCTCS, Former Agricultural Commissioner of Kentucky, and master of ceremonies. “We know that if a student comes to class with an empty belly, education is the last thing on their mind. We know that it’s not just about young people, but elderly as well – A vulnerable group that will sometimes choose between food and medicine. So we want to make sure that the resources are there.”
The annual Serving Up Solutions was attended by food access advocates Michael Halligan, CEO of God’s Pantry Food Bank in Lexington, KY, Glenn Roberts, Executive Director of Tri-State Food Bank in Evansville, IN, Samantha Edwards, Chief Development Officer of Facing Hunger Foodbank in Huntington, WV, Charles Dennis, Executive Director of Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland in Elizabethtown, KY, and Kurt Reiber, President and CEO of Freestore Foodbank in Cincinnati, OH.
Serving Up Solutions is an annual benefit dinner organized by Feeding Kentucky to support Kentuckians facing hunger and the bi-partisan fight against food insecurity. For more information about Feeding Kentucky, visit www.feedingky.org.
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About Feeding Kentucky:
Feeding Kentucky is a 501(c)3 and a Partner State Association of Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity. In 2012, The Kentucky Department of Agriculture named us a Kentucky Proud Partner in Excellence. Feeding Kentucky was awarded the Nonprofit VOICE award in 2014, 2015 and 2018 by the Kentucky Nonprofit Network for our advocacy work.
