1 million meals paid in food bank fundraiser

The Clark County Food Bank’s annual auction was its most profitable fundraiser yet. On Sept. 14, the nonprofit raised $291,489, enough for 1,164,000 meals for local people in need.

The event called Taste & See drew 250 guests, 135 auction donors and 31 sponsors, along with many volunteers.

“We are overwhelmed by the generosity and compassion demonstrated by everyone who participated in this year’s Taste & See,” Alan Hamilton, the food bank’s president, said in a news release. “We don’t view this event as simply a successful fundraiser, but we see it as a snapshot of how our community rallies together and cares for neighbors who don’t have enough to eat.”

This was the seventh annual Taste & See auction fundraiser. In previous years the event typically raised around $240,000 to $270,000.

“This year was a banner year for us,” Matt Edmonds, spokesman for the food bank, said in an email.

Six days after the auction the food bank raised another $20,000 during Give More 24!, an annual event promoting charitable giving in Southwest Washington.