More than 865,400 Missourians face food insecurity, including one in every six children.
To do their part in making sure no kid goes hungry, Jim Butler Auto Group is kicking off a new campaign to raise $100,000 for area food banks. Good Taste: A Fundraiser & Food Drive for Missouri Families will help provide meals and rally community members to help solve the hunger crisis.
In November and December, $50 from every car sold at all Jim Butler Auto Group stores will benefit Operation Food Search and The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri.
Community members can also donate non-perishable food items at any Jim Butler location through December 20.
Each donation barrel can hold almost 175 pounds of food.
Together with partners and customers, Jim Butler Auto Group President & CEO Brad Sowers hopes to collect 3,500 pounds of shelf-stable pantry items for Missouri families.
To keep the momentum going, Jim Butler Auto Group will host a fundraiser at Neiman Marcus on Thursday, December 8 from 6-9pm. The evening will include luxury vehicles on display, a fashion show curated by Neiman Marcus’ style advisors, and a tasting featuring Maserati-inspired dishes from five top local chefs: Chris Bolyard of Bolyard's Meat & Provisions, Darren and Charlene Young of The Fattened Caf, Kitt Villasis-Corbin of La Patisserie, Loryn Nalic of Balkan Treat Box, and Heidi Skye Hamamura of Taberu. 100% of ticket proceeds will go to Operation Food Search and The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri. Event chairs Brad & Michele Sowers will personally match the first $10,000 in private donations, of which Neiman Marcus has already pledged $2,000.
Sowers says they chose food banks as this year’s giving priority because too many kids go hungry and miss out on some of life’s greatest moments: “Food security gives families peace-of-mind, helps kids focus on school and play, and ensures people won’t have to miss out on life’s most important moments like sharing a meal together during the holidays.”
He added, “Our Jim Butler Community Service Crew will also volunteer with both food banks to help make packages for families. The Community Service Crew’s mission is to ‘Be Kind, Care More, and Do Good,’ and our team members are excited to get to work for such a good cause.”
"We are thrilled to kick off the Jim Butler Auto Group Good Taste Fundraiser and Food Drive," said Kristen Wild, President and Chief Executive Officer of Operation Food Search. "With the support of friends like Brad & Michele Sowers and the hard work of the entire Jim Butler team, we are able to provide immediate food assistance to 200,000 people in the region each month."
"We are hugely appreciative of partners like Jim Butler Auto Group who help us distribute millions of meals to tens of thousands of Missourians each month through more than 145 hunger-relief agencies and 197 school partners,” said Lindsay Lopez, President and CEO of The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri. “As we see food costs rise, their support plays an even bigger role in getting nutritious food into the hands of those who need it most."
To learn more and buy tickets to the December 8 fundraiser, visit JimButlerGoodTaste.com.
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