CITY HARVEST'S 2020 GALA on 4/28 to Honor Eric and Sandra Ripert, Goya Foods and the Unanue Family

City Harvest, New York City's private response to hunger has announced that Eric and Sandra Ripert and Goya Foods and the Unanue family will be the honorees at this year's City Harvest Presents The 2020 Gala: Red Supper Club, on April 28. This is City Harvest's largest annual fundraising event, and all proceeds will support the organization's work to rescue 66 million pounds of nutritious, excess food this year and deliver it, free of charge, to help feed New Yorkers in need.

Eric Ripert, chef and co-owner of the three Michelin-starred Le Bernardin, and his wife Sandra, have both been steadfast supporters of City Harvest for over two decades. Chef Ripert currently serves as Vice Chair of City Harvest's Board of Directors and is a member of the Food Council, a group of culinary experts and top chefs that supports the organization's work. "When I was first introduced to City Harvest over 25 years ago, I was immediately motivated by their mission and wanted Le Bernardin to get involved. I think about the work City Harvest does every day to feed New Yorkers who face hunger, and I'm honored to share and support the City Harvest team's and their supporters' unwavering focus and commitment to ending hunger in our community," said Chef Ripert.

Sandra Ripert has served as a longtime co-chair for City Harvest's annual gala, and she is also a dedicated volunteer-distributing food at City Harvest's Mobile Markets and repacking fresh produce for delivery to soup kitchens and food pantries. "Helping City Harvest feed those in need is personal to me. One in five children today don't always know where their next meal is coming from. As a child, I relied on government programs to eat, and today, many children are relying on City Harvest. I am happy to help make a small difference in helping City Harvest," said Sandra.

City Harvest's partnership with Goya Foods, the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States, began in 2008. To date, Goya Foods has donated over half a million pounds of nutritious food to help feed New Yorkers experiencing food insecurity. They have sponsored the organization's citywide food drives, the Daily News Food Drive, the city's largest annual holiday food drive, and Feed Our Kids, which collects food to help feed children over the summer months. "We are honored for the recognition, and we value the incredible partnership we've developed over the years with City Harvest," said Peter Unanue, Executive Vice President of Goya Foods. "Through our Goya Gives initiative, we are able to work with hundreds of organizations like City Harvest, who are directly making a positive impact on the communities we serve and helping to make this world a better place one meal at a time. We appreciate and applaud the mission of City Harvest, and look forward to working alongside them for many more years to come,"

"We are thrilled to recognize and thank both Eric and Sandra Ripert and Goya Foods and the Unanue Family for being such committed members of the City Harvest family. Their dedication to feeding New York City is unmatched, and their support over the years has made a tremendous impact on City Harvest's ability to grow and meet the persistently high need for food in our city," said Jilly Stephens, City Harvest's Chief Executive Officer.

The room décor at this year's Gala will be designed by world-renowned celebrity event planner Colin Cowie. "I'm beyond excited to be a part of this year's City Harvest gala, named Town and Country's most glamorous dinner party in New York City. We look forward to helping create a magical event that highlights the magnificent mission of this organization," he said.

City Harvest Presents The 2020 Gala: Red Supper Club will take place at Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan. The event brings together celebrities, influencers, and NYC's high profile individuals, and is the organization's most important fundraising event of the year. The event features an elegant dinner with one of a kind live and silent auctions.

Past attendees have included Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Julianne Moore, Chelsea Clinton, Richard Gere, Antoni Porowski, Nas, Darren Criss, Katie Couric, Cynthia Nixon, Elizabeth Olsen, and Martha Stewart. Chef supporters have included José Andrés, Geoffrey Zakarian, Gail Simmons, Tom Colicchio, Marcus Samuelsson, Donatella Arpaia, Emma Bengtsson, Michael White, Dominique Ansel, and Ted Allen.

City Harvest's 2019 gala raised nearly $4.1 million, enough to provide more than 14 million meals for New Yorkers in need.

About City Harvest:

City Harvest is New York City's largest food rescue organization, helping to feed the nearly 1.2 million New Yorkers who are struggling to put meals on their tables. We will rescue 66 million pounds of food this year and deliver it, free of charge, to hundreds of food pantries, soup kitchens, and other community partners across the five boroughs. Our programs empower individuals through nutrition education, increase our partners' capacity, and strengthen the local food system, helping New Yorkers who are experiencing food insecurity to access, afford, and consume nutritious food. To learn more about our work, visit cityharvest.org.

Photo Credit: Eric Vitale

To post a comment, you must register and login.