by Kent Jennings Brockwell
Staff Writer
While many will get to taste different culinary creations from around the country at the Taste of the NFL event during Super Bowl week, one local food bank is looking forward to a large helping of generosity.
For the past 14 years, the Taste of the NFL, a fund raising dinner featuring chefs and football players from every NFL city, has been put on as part of the host city’s Super Bowl festivities. Money raised from the event is divided and distributed to food banks in every NFL city with a substantially larger cut going to the host city’s food banks.
Lutheran Social Services’ Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Florida is Jacksonville’s recipient and Tim Davis, director for the food bank, said the money couldn’t come at a better time.
“There are some deficiencies in our current facility,” he said. “We are really looking forward to the money so we can expand our services to the community.”
Davis said the money raised from the Taste of the NFL event could allow the food bank to upgrade its current location or perhaps build a totally new facility.
“We have some great fundraisers, but they go toward the daily operations costs,” said Davis. “This money will give us the ability to move forward instead of just keeping our head above water. It would be extremely difficult to do without it.”
Mike Kelly, president and COO of the Jacksonville Super Bowl Host Committee, said last year’s Taste of the NFL dinner in Houston raised more than $820,000 for food banks across the country, a record amount for the event. He couldn’t give an exact figure, but Kelly said the event could raise “hundreds of thousands of dollars” for the local food bank.
“The board of directors for the Taste of the NFL does make a determination of what percentage of the night’s proceeds goes to local banks,” said Kelly. “Sometimes I think it has been as high as 20 or 30 percent of the overall effort and then they do share a portion of it with every other NFL city. But the host city’s food bank is the largest beneficiary of the event.”
Davis said he has started meeting with officials and experts to discuss plans to either repair or rebuild the food bank. Either way, Davis said the money will be graciously received and put to good use for the community.
“We would hope to raise $250,000, but $200,000 will go a long way and if it reaches $300,000 then we could be well on our way to getting the food bank we need for this city,” said Davis.
The main deficiency at the food bank that Davis wants to correct is the lack of proper freezers and coolers required for perishable items. Because of several changes in the food service industry, Davis said most donated items are perishable or frozen foods instead of canned goods.
“Right now we are in a good building, but our freezers and coolers are so much under our needs,” he said. “We just can’t accept the valuable and nutritious perishable donations because we don’t have the logistical ability to handle it all. We have to have the right freezers and coolers and we have to have the ability to move the perishable products through the food banks and through our agency.”
Davis said the food bank will make an announcement after the Super Bowl regarding its intentions for the Taste of the NFL funds.