Lexington cookout with West Sixth beer, live music could feed Kentuckians all winter
A late summer Lexington food event could give you the chance to help feed neighbors all winter long.
Glean Kentucky, a non-profit that helps food pantries and organizations such as FoodChain that fight food insecurity, will hold its annual Burgers & Beats fundraiser at Moondance Amphitheatre, 1152 Monarch St., on Sept. 19 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The family-friendly event features live music from the Bent Penny Band Revival, food trucks from Critchfield’s, The Sister Shack and Cocomania, and beer from West Sixth Brewing will have items for sale. Plus inflatables and games for kids and a $10 gift card pool for grownups.
“It’s a really fun way for Glean Kentucky to celebrate the the families and let the community know about the work we do,” said Bekah Worster, development director.
And if you’re inspired, Glean Kentucky also is looking for volunteers, including kids.
Glean Kentucky was founded in 2010, Worster said, “on the principle that there is always excess produce. Even in your own garden, you could have a bumper crop you’re trying to give away to friends. We’ll take that excess produce from stores, orchards, farms, anywhere and connect to feeding programs throughout the region.”
They started in Lexington and have expanded to Central Kentucky, the Bowling Green area and now Jefferson and Oldham counties, she said.
What does Glean Kentucky do?
“We like to say we’re a logistics non-profit,” Worster said. “We don’t store anything, we immediately deliver it to feeding programs in the are and have helped several non-profits serve more families as well as save money.”
Since Glean Kentucky started, the organization has “gleaned” close to 3 million pounds of produce; they do about 1,000 gleaning trips annually, picking up mostly from stores in the winter and from everywhere else during the growing season.
While many of the gleaners are volunteers, the organization also has seven staff members. The fundraiser will help them put fresh fruit and vegetables the would be going to waste into the hands of people experiencing food insecurity, from seniors, to those in homeless shelters, to afterschool programs and daycare centers.
Burgers & Beats
When: 5:30-8:30 p.m., Sept. 19
Where: Moondance Amphitheatre, 1152 Monarch St.
Tickets: $20 in advance at gleanky.org, $25 at the door; VIP tickets, which include seating, water bottle and a drink ticket, are $35 each. Kids 12 and under get in free. Food, drinks available for purchase.
