Master chef, television personality and philanthropist Tom Colicchio will be the keynote speaker at Hopelink’s 16th annual Reaching Out Benefit Luncheon on Oct. 17.
The lucheon will be from noon to 1:15 p.m. at Meydenbauer Center, 11100 NE 6th St. in Bellevue. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m.
The luncheon aims to raise $1.2 million to enable Hopelink, the largest social services agency serving east and north King County, to continue meeting the needs of families who are struggling during the current recession — particularly in light of state and federal budget cutbacks.
Winner of the James Beard Foundation’s “Outstanding Chef” award, Colicchio is a 30-year veteran of the restaurant industry. The New Jersey native has three cookbooks and more than a dozen restaurants to his credit, but Colicchio may be best known for his role as head judge on Bravo TV’s hit reality cooking series “Top Chef.”
Recently, Colicchio has become an outspoken advocate of efforts to ensure that the nation’s children have access to healthy school lunches, testifying before Congress on reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act.
“There can be no better investment — no better stimulus to our economy — than feeding this nation’s children healthily and well,” Colicchio said in a press release. “Providing the building blocks for millions of kids to grow and develop as they should will mean a population of robust and productive adults and a more competitive America.”
Colicchio and his restaurants have a history of giving back to the community, including generous support for programs that help hungry families. He serves on the Food Council of City Harvest – the world’s first food-rescue organization, which helps feed more than 300,000 hungry New Yorkers every week. Colicchio also is a member of the Culinary Council of The Food Bank For New York City. Shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, he joined a volunteer army serving food to rescue workers at Ground Zero.
“Tom’s commitment to doing what he can to improve child nutrition is significant,” Hopelink President and Chief Executive Officer Marilyn Mason-Plunkett said in the press release. “We know that many children who go to school hungry have difficulty concentrating in class, which puts them at a considerable disadvantage on the learning curve. Ensuring that everyone in our community has enough to eat is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do.”
There is no charge to attend the luncheon, but during the program guests will be asked to make a donation in support of Hopelink’s services. The suggested minimum donation per person is $150. Corporate sponsors are significant contributors to this event.
Contact Venetia Vango at (425) 897-3703 or by e-mail at venetiav@hope-link.org for more information or visit www.hope-link.org/lunch.
