For the second year, restaurants across Canada will be donating proceeds from a dinner service in support of healthy food for all.
The event next Wednesday is all part of Restaurants for Change, a fundraising initiative of Community Food Centres Canada (CFCC), a national organization that provides resources to community food centres.
This year, 60 restaurants in 13 cities will be participating in the Oct. 21 event, more than double last year’s restaurant count. The goal is to raise $200,000, well above last year’s $120,000.
“It’s been pretty amazing to see the enthusiasm that chefs and restaurants have shown for the initiative,” says Christina Palassio, director of communications at CFCC. Chefs have gone out of the kitchen and into the community to teach food skills and contribute to food education programs at community food centres, she says. “They really see the role they can play in helping people how to cook healthfully.”
Restaurants for Change is being promoted with a multimedia campaign that includes a PSA featuring four Toronto restaurant chefs. It’s airing nationally on Food Network Canada and Global and was created by Dot Dot Dash, which also developed last year’s Restaurants for Change campaign. Dot Dot Dash has also done the website, print collateral and branding for the event.
Chef ambassadors in every participating city are also raising awareness about how food insecurity affects people’s health, Palassio says.
“We believe that chefs have a really important role to play in pushing for food systems change. They see how food impacts people and the environment firsthand, so we really want to engage them in talking about food access issues and how we can make sure everyone has a seat at the table.”
Once again, The Siren Group is managing media relations, special events, sponsorship and social media activity. Media relations include booking morning show segments in every city participating in the event, says Susan Willemsen, president of The Siren Group.
Restaurants for Change “has grown tremendously,” she says, noting awareness for the event is up significantly.
This year’s event featured a kickoff event in which chefs from across Canada converged on Toronto for activities that included a dinner and tour of two CFCC locations in the city.
