Tickets for the annual Bounty on the Bricks fundraiser are on sale now. The event will be held in uptown Athens on Saturday, August 10.
The annual fundraiser for the SE Ohio Foodbank provides significant support to the effort to end hunger in the region. The first Bounty on the Bricks event was held in 2013. Since then, funds raised through the event have provided the equivalent of more than 1.1 million meals for food-insecure individuals in the community.
“The need for food assistance is growing. Last year, the SE Ohio Foodbank assisted more people than any other year in the past decade,” said Kelly Hatas, executive director of Hocking Athens Perry Community Action, which operates the Foodbank. “People living in rural areas such as southeast Ohio have experienced higher rates of food insecurity than their urban counterparts.”
According to Hatas, data recently released from Feeding America shows that rural counties make up 62% of all counties but represent 87% of counties with food insecurity in the top 10%.
“In the 10 counties we serve, 17.4% of the population faces food insecurity, compared to 13.5% nationwide," said Hatas. “The rate for children is staggering at 21.8%, more than 1 in 5.
Bounty on the Bricks provides an opportunity for community members to come together to fight food insecurity, quite literally. Attendees gather around a single 300-foot table set on the bricks of Court Street to enjoy a locally sourced fine dining experience prepared by chef Katie Mosher of River Willow Culinary Services.
The event is made possible by a broad coalition of funders and volunteers. “Many of our sponsoring organizations and boots-on-the-ground volunteers have been involved with this event since its inception,” said Hatas. “We are grateful for the community’s support of Bounty and SEOFB.”
OhioHealth is the event’s presenting sponsor, and its premier sponsors are the Sisters Health Foundation and the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation of Nelsonville. Dozens of local businesses, community groups, and individuals provide additional support.
To learn more about Bounty on the Bricks, sign up as a volunteer or sponsor, or purchase tickets, go to athensbounty.com.