Experience the Holidays with Chalk Hill Estate
< Press ReleasesExperience the Holidays with Chalk Hill Estate Winery and Help Alleviate Hunger in Sonoma CountyHealdbsurg, California11/26/2008. Healdsburg, Calif. - Chalk Hill Estate Vineyards & Winery has announced a special holiday program to help raise hunger awareness and boost food contributions to Redwood Empire Food Bank. The "Experience the Holidays with Chalk Hill" campaign features a tasting room food collection program and other special events that promise visitors the chance to join with the winery in celebrating the spirit of giving.From Thanksgiving weekend until the end of December, visitors who bring along a nonperishable food donation* for the Redwood Empire Food Bank will be offered a complimentary wine tasting. Chalk Hill Estate Executive Chef Didier Ageorges will also host special holiday culinary tours at 2:30 p.m. every Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday through December 31. This holiday program is an extension of Chalk Hill's longstanding partnership with Redwood Empire Food Bank. For many years, the Chalk Hill Estate Culinary Garden has provided a bounty of iron-rich produce specifically grown to help children suffering from anemia. The Megan Furth Harvest Pantry was established as part of the Redwood Empire Food Bank to respond to a high rate of anemia among Sonoma County's low-income preschool children. Chalk Hill has stepped up its efforts to support the food bank in response to a recent increase in demand. "Families with children are disproportionately represented in the people we serve and the holidays are particularly challenging for them," says David Goodman, executive director of Redwood Empire Food Bank. "There is not a toy on earth that can make a child smile if he or she is hungry. A child that experiences anemia due to hunger or poor nutrition will be injured for life. With the help of community-minded businesses including Chalk Hill, we can offer iron and Vitamin C-rich produce, as well as nutrition education, to prevent such a tragedy from occurring." According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 10,000 children in Sonoma County are living in poverty. Children account for an estimated 37 percent of those who are served by food stamps from the Redwood Empire Food Bank. The Megan Furth Harvest Pantry typically handles enough food for 90 people, but on one recent day, over 140 parents showed up seeking assistance for their children, forcing volunteers to stretch the amount of food they distributed. About Redwood Empire Food BankThe Redwood Empire Food Bank, working with 128 human service agencies that operate 214 programs, serves people in need in Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. During the current fiscal year, it will distribute more than 11 million pounds of food. For more information, visit www.refb.org.About Chalk Hill Estate Vineyards & WineryChalk Hill Estate Vineyards & Winery was founded by Fred Furth in 1972 as an integrated wine estate similar to those he admired in Europe. Today this 1400-acre wine estate in the Chalk Hill appellation of Sonoma County, created by Fred and Peggy Furth, includes 350 acres of vineyards, a winery, a hospitality center and culinary garden, residence, offices, stables, equestrian pavilion, sports fields, fishing and swimming ponds, guest houses and wilderness areas. The winery hand-crafts Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as Furth, a Bordeaux varietal proprietary blend. For more information visit www.chalkhill.com.*Suggested items include: Canned Tuna, Canned Chicken, Canned Shrimp, Iron Fortified Cereals (45% iron or more and low sugar), Canned beans, 100% orange juice in individual serving sizes, Peanut butter, Raisins, Canned tomatoes, and Whole grain crackers. Cash donations are used to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables (broccoli, leafy greens, carrots, etc.), and low-fat dairy items, including yogurt, string cheese and 1% milk. For more information contact: Kerry Manahan-Ehlow, Chalk Hill Estate Winery, (707) 326-6782 Monica Shovlin, The Ulum Group, (541) 434-7028 |
