The following is adapted from a press release provided by Laura Hamby.
It was a day filled with smiles and fun as a crowd of 400 people gathered, September 28, in the courtyard of the Congregational Church of Soquel to support Second Harvest Food Bank.
Festival participants enjoyed some of Soquel’s finest food, wine, and beer while they danced to the tunes of local bands and took home raffle prizes. Children in the KidZone drummed, danced, sang, and had fun with games, crafts, and face painting. The annual event raised more than $9,200 for Second Harvest Food Bank, which translates into 36,800 healthy meals for children and families of Santa Cruz County.
A Taste of Soquel, a project of the Congregational Church of Soquel and co-sponsored by the Capitola/Soquel Chamber of Commerce, was launched in 2009, and has since raised a total of $94,252 for Second Harvest Food Bank. These donations have directly helped the food bank provide 377,088 healthy meals to people throughout the county.
Soquel restaurants, wineries, breweries, farms, bands and KidZone participants donating their time and wares, making this year’s annual fundraiser possible, include Café Cruz, Sawasdee, Michael’s on Main, Vino Cruz, El Chipotle, Home , Jeff Walls’ Family Honey, Aldo’s Bakery, Home Grown, Ugly Mug, Discretion Brewing, Soquel Vineyards, Bargetto Winery, Wargin Wines, Poetic Cellars, Soquel Cider by Everett Family Farm, Ugly Mug, Keith Greeninger, B Movie Kings, Bill Bortin and the Back for More Band, Drumming with Ibou, and Musical Me with Camille Couture. New this year was the Home Grown booth hosted by the the church itself with a selection of treats made from home grown apples, pumpkins, and tomatoes.
People took home 50 raffle prizes donated by local businesses, who contributed goods and services for Taste’s popular raffle, and raised more than $1,300 of the proceeds. Additional sponsors and contributors include Bay Federal Credit Union, The Bagelry, SC County Sheriff’s Volunteers, Glacier Ice, Driscoll’s, Ralph Anyboby, KPIG Radio, Greenwaste, Hear the Call Music.
Soquel knows it takes a village to address hunger needs in Santa Cruz Country, and is proud it starts in the village of Soquel! tasteofsoquel.org