LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Celebrity chefs came together Saturday night in Louisville for a good cause.
The Blessings in a Backpack Louisville chapter held its popular celebrity chef event, "Pack the Sack" to benefit JCPS students.
The event raises money to feed JCPS students on the weekends, who qualify for the free and reduced lunch program, some who may otherwise not eat until they return to school Monday.
"There's almost 80,000 children in Louisville that qualify for our program. We had a to cut 1,400 children in January because we didn't have enough funding to feed every child. So now we're feeding a little over 5,400 children In 41 schools," said Blessings in a Backpack Managing Director Kim Holsclaw. “The money that we raise feeds thousands of children for an entire school year."
The event hosted popular chefs from around Louisville to curate the meal for the night.
Joshua Moore with Valore Ristorante, James Moran with Omni Louisville Hotel, and Jaclyn Joseph with JJBakes & Co.
"I'm a hometown guy, too, Louisville is home. It starts at ground zero so anything that we can do as chefs to give back…obviously it's cooking, so just honored to be apart of it," Moran said.
For Joseph, her participation hits close to home.
"I was actually one of the kids growing up that needed this program. I just want to be able to help the kids just like me…to always have a full belly and just be taken care of," she said.
According to Blessings in a Backpack, it takes $150 to feed a child for an entire year. Organizers hope to raise $200,000 from the "Pack the Sack" event alone.
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