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CUESA's Sunday Supper Raises Funds for Healthy Communities and North Bay Fire Relief Efforts

October 20, 2017

Last Sunday, farmers, chefs, and food lovers came together at CUESA’s Sunday Supper: A Farm to City Feast to raise more than $300,000 to support healthy communities, sustainable agriculture, and Bay Area youth. In addition, CUESA raised $23,500 to support the Redwood Empire Food Bank‘s North Bay fire relief efforts.

The annual gala, now in its 15th year, brought together more than 350 guests, 40 of the Bay Area’s top chefs, and 20 bars and wineries at the Ferry Building to raise crucial funds for CUESA’s educational programs, which serve our community in cultivating a sustainable food system. (Chef Matthew Dolan with farmers Molly and Kenny Baker of Lonely Mountain Farm shown above.)

Sunday Supper exceeded CUESA’s fundraising goals, raising $40,000 for CUESA’s free youth education programs, Schoolyard to Market and Foodwise Kids, which serve nearly 3,000 Bay Area youth every year, setting them up for a lifetime of healthy eating.

John O’Connell high school students Ayalla, Alicia, Camille, Moana, and Eljanae, who participate in CUESA’s Schoolyard to Market program, shared hors d’oeuvres they made using produce from their school garden, with CUESA Education Program Coordinator Tessa Kappe and John O’Connnell Chef Instructor Alexandria Brooks.

Guest speaker Rosalinda Puac, a senior at John O’Connell High School in San Francisco’s Mission District, described her journey participating in CUESA’s semester-long Schoolyard to Market program. Students in the program grow fruits and vegetables in their school garden and sell them at the farmers market, gaining valuable career and life skills in the process.

“Through Schoolyard to Market, I was able to grow, explore, and just learn new things about myself,” said Puac. “If every kid had a garden, life would be so different. Teaching kids what a big impact gardening has in society helps us connect with nature.”

She introduced a video featuring her and her classmates in the garden, called “Every Kid Deserves to be Healthy.”

Next year, CUESA will celebrate 25 years of cultivating a healthy food system in the Bay Area and beyond. “The vision is clear: we are building a strong, local foodshed that is connected, sustainable, and resilient in times of trouble,” said CUESA’s Executive Director Marcy Coburn. “We are here in community with each other, supporting our sustainable farmers, investing in our children’s futures and perpetuating an alternative food system that doesn’t just feed, but also nourishes everyone in it.”

The live auction, emceed by KCBS’s “Foodie Chap” Liam Mayclem, offered eight exciting packages. Proceeds from three auction packages were shared with the Redwood Empire Food Bank to support North Bay fire relief efforts. “We are so grateful to our generous community for the many ways we will support each other tonight and in the recovery ahead,” said Coburn.

CUESA’s heartfelt thanks go to the chefs, guests, sponsors, winemakers, brewers, bartenders, and volunteers who donated their time, resources, and talents to help raise vital funds for CUESA’s work and our community.