Food Now will hold "The Art of Giving," a cocktail party and silent auction fundraiser, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10 at Melissa Morgan Fine Art in Palm Desert. A number of local artists (not affiliated with Melissa Morgan) will be in attendance to offer their work to be auctioned off as part of the event. The evening will feature hors d'oeuvres by Porta Via Palm Desert and cocktails provided by Bar One.
According to its website, Food Now is a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of locals who struggle with food insecurity. "Food Now is one of the largest, if not the largest, food pantry in the Coachella Valley," says board member Tom Tragesser. "We serve about 350-plus families every week with food distribution. We're part of the Feeding America Network. We also serve daily meals to 50-plus unsheltered individuals four days a week."
The organization also provides home deliveries of weekly supplemental food for disabled veterans and others who are housebound due to a medical necessity and provides periodic health screenings to help identify existing or pre-existing diseases and health risks, specifically obesity and diabetes.
In addition to feeding humans, the nonprofit has expanded its care to the pets of local food-insecure families and individuals and is working with a number of schools in Desert Hot Springs and Palm Springs. "Another source of need that we've identified is school children who are participants in the federal meal program," Tragesser says. "While they get breakfast and lunch at school, there's still a lot of food insecurity for these kids that don't have enough food on the weekends and during breaks."
As a result, Food Now has implemented its Backpack Feeding Program, which provides selected chronically hungry children with additional nutritional support on weekends.
"We refill these backpacks every week with additional food, and it is very discreet," Tragesser says. "That's why it's in the backpack, so there's no stigma or no embarrassment for the kids."
Tragesser says Food Now has had to self-fund the backpack program and others as USDA or Feeding America funds do not apply. "This is why we need the fundraisers to define the financial sources to be able to support those programs and expand them as well."
Show your support for Food Now by attending "The Art of Giving" on Nov. 10.
Tickets to the event are $125 per person and can be purchased at foodnowdhs.org/events. Melissa Morgan Fine Art is located at 73-660 El Paseo, Palm Desert. For more information, visit melissamorganfineart.com.