GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Flavors of Florida, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences tradition, offers a bountiful benefit this year: Proceeds from the event will go to the UF Field and Fork Campus Food Program.
For the sixth annual event, UF/IFAS faculty, administrators, friends and others will come together at the Champions Club at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field in Gainesville.
During Flavors of Florida — held from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., April 11 — participants will sample delicious foods and beverages featuring emerging crops such as hops and the latest UF/IFAS-developed varieties of strawberries, blueberries and tomatoes, among other delectable delights.
The UF Field and Fork Campus Food Program provides opportunities for collaboration and learning in sustainable agriculture and food systems, said Anna Prizzia, UF/IFAS program director and campus food systems coordinator. The Alan and Cathy Hitchcock Field and Fork Pantry helps people in the campus community who experience food insecurity – that is, they lack sufficient access to affordable, nutritious food.
“Proceeds from the generous participants at Flavors of Florida will help us continue our programs that educate students and the public about growing food in sustainable ways,” Prizzia said. “This support will also help us continue to offer fresh, healthy food to Gators facing food insecurity.”
At the gardens, students get the opportunity to grow food in a production setting and help provide healthy, fresh food to those in need.
Through Field and Fork, people can take courses and participate in activities that explore many facets of food — from growing practices and food security to consumption and nutrition, Prizzia said. The program supplies more than 5,000 pounds of fresh, nutritious food to the Hitchcock food pantry each year.
The program also works with faculty, local organizations and businesses to enhance opportunities for students to apply their education in real-world contexts through internships and research.
Flavors of Florida sponsorship opportunities are available. To register for the event or view sponsorship information, visit www.tinyurl.com/IFASFOF19. Registration is $75 per ticket until March 1. After March 1, ticket prices go to $85. From each ticket, $25 will benefit the UF Field and Fork Campus Food Program. For more information, please contact Caylin Hilton at 352-392-5432, or at cnewbern@ufl.edu.
-30-
By: Brad Buck, 352-294-3303, bradbuck@ufl.edu
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS works to bring science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. Visit the UF/IFAS web site at ifas.ufl.edu and follow us on social media at @UF_IFAS.
0
