There are more philanthropic events and traditions in Toledo than one could attend if there were 48 hours in a day and 14 days in a week. But it seems there is always room for more, and it is exciting when a new event debuts with immediate impact.
So congratulations are in order for Food for Thought, the organization that feeds local hungry families. Under the direction of Executive Director (and Chief Thought Officer) Sam Melden, the organization launched Jam City on May 23 to a packed house and great acclaim. Food for Thought made more than 20,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches last year for its Saturday morning picnics, so it was a natural extension to host a PB&J-themed fundraising event. Jam City, which brought more than 300 people to The Blarney Event Center, allowed nearly a dozen restaurants to show off PB&J dishes as live music played.
Participating restaurants included Balance Pan-Asian Grille, The Blarney Irish Pub, Burger Bar 419, Deet’s BBQ, Gradkowski’s, Grumpy’s, Mancy’s Steaks, Registry Bistro, Revolution Grille, Scene and Swig. Dishes ranged from duck and pork belly to peanut butter salsa and a bacon vodka and chocolate milkshake. The sold-out event featured its own Jam City wine, procured by sommelier Adam Mahler, and music from the Jason Hudson Trio, The Bricks, Andrew Ellis and People Being Human.
A quick flip through the photo album of the event on the Toledo Free Press Facebook page shows a packed house full of people happily tasting great food and enthusiastically supporting an even greater cause.
Toledo Free Press was excited to be a media partner for this inaugural event and looks forward to working with Melden and Food for Thought as part of our ongoing Free From Hunger 2013 project. There are myriad time-honored events to patronize, but it is great fun to see a new event emerge and gain instant attention. So congratulations again to Food for Thought; they created an event that has the potential to be as classic as the sandwich it was named after.
For more information about Food for Thought, visit www.feedtoledo.org.
Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at tpounds@ toledofreepress.com.
