Gourmet News

Southern Glazer’s Debuts the Served Up Book Club

Published November 17, 2022

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, the world’s preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol, has launched a new online book club at www.southernglazers.com/serveduppodcast. The Served Up podcast features interviews with the hospitality industry’s most respected and celebrated leaders.

Just in time for the busy holiday shopping season, book worms in the beverage industry can check out the Served Up Book Club for recommendations on some of the latest books to buy and read exclusive interviews with the authors who are sharing their knowledge, experiences and stories.

Authors featured include:

Derek Brown, author of Mindful Mixology: A Comprehensive Guide to No- and Low-Alcohol Cocktails
Camper English, author of Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits and Cocktails
Kim Haasarud, author of the “101” Cocktail Book Series
Adrian Miller, author of Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue
Natalie Maclean, author ofWine Witch On Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation and Drinking Too Much
Shannon Mustipher, author of Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails
Jessica Pettit, author of Good Enough Now
Julie Reiner, author of The Craft Cocktail Party: Delicious for Every Occasion

Served Up, with hosts Bridget Albert and Julie Milroy, is available on Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music and is a source for beverage professionals to hear conversations on topics such as advocacy, entrepreneurship, and belonging with food and beverage industry and social justice thought leaders representing the diverse hospitality community.

Albert is the senior director, external communications for Southern Glazer’s, a published author of Market-Fresh Mixology and award-winning mixologist with more than 25 years of hospitality industry experience. Milroy is a vice president, supplier development & marketing for Southern Glazer’s with more than 17 years of experience in the beverage alcohol industry including roles in Sales, Human Resources, Marketing, and Commercial Strategy.

To pitch a guest for the show, to submit your book for the Book Club, or to schedule the Served Up team for on-site beverage industry event coverage, contact servedup@sgws.com. For more information about the podcast visit www.southernglazers.com/serveduppodcast.

For news of interest to the food and beverage industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.

Help Kick Hunger Challenge Fights Youth Food Insecurity

Published November 17, 2022

Boys & Girls Clubs of America, together with Parichute, The Coca-Cola Company and players of many Major League Soccer, National Women’s Soccer League and United Soccer League teams, launched the first Help Kick Hunger Challenge to fight youth food insecurity in communities across the nation.

In America, 1 in 6 children experiences food insecurity, and throughout Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide, more than 60 percent of youth qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches. Boys & Girls Clubs provide young people with meals, safe spaces, mentors and life-enhancing experiences on their journey to a great future.

Zack Steffen, Goalkeeper, Middlesbrough F.C. (on loan from Manchester City F.C.) and active supporter of Boys & Girls Clubs is calling on fans nationwide to help make an impact. Steffen will kick off the Help Kick Hunger Challenge on Instagram, demonstrating his favorite soccer trick in acceptance of the challenge as he passes the ball to nominees Travis Fulgham (Green Bay Packers, NFL), Chris Frederick (retired professional soccer player, entrepreneur) and JJ Watt (Arizona Cardinals, NFL) to donate and do the same.

“I had a lot of goals coming into this year and one of them was to continue to help children in need,” said Steffen. “It’s been a busy year for me and I’d like to finish it on a high note. In doing so, we created the Help Kick Hunger Challenge. No child should ever have to worry about their next meal, and this is an opportunity for the soccer community and others to support Boys & Girls Clubs of America to make a big difference in the lives of kids.”

This giving season, nearly 50 players from Major League Soccer teams are slated to join the challenge including USMNT’s Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC, defender) and Tim Ream (Fulham, defender) who will represent the United States in Qatar and pledge their support on social media with an exciting USA giveaway.

Additionally, now through Dec. 31, The Coca-Cola Company will match all donations to Boys & Girls Clubs of America through the Help Kick Hunger campaign, up to $50,000, doubling the potential impact to keeping kids fed, fueled and focused on achieving their full potential.

“We know youth can thrive when they have access to healthy meals that keep them fueled and focused,” said Jim Clark, president & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “We are honored to share nationwide support from Parichute, The Coca-Cola Company and the entire soccer community through the Help Kick Hunger Challenge as we work together to ensure today’s young people become the leaders, innovators and problem-solvers of tomorrow.”

Initially supporting Boys & Girls Clubs located in Major League Soccer markets, the Help Kick Hunger Challenge is calling on everyone to participate by sharing their own videos on social media, tagging @BGCA_Clubs and @Parichute and including #HelpKickHunger in their post. Participants are also encouraged to visit app.parichute.com/project/help-kick-hunger to donate to give young people in Clubs the meals and resources they need to thrive. After all, they’re the only next generation we’ve got.

For news on issues of interest to the specialty food industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.

Save A Lot Launches Holiday Food Donation Program

Published November 16, 2022

Save A Lot, one of the largest discount grocery chains in the United States, is set to do “A Lot of Good” through the 2022 holiday season with its annual Bags for a Brighter Holiday food donation program, which supports the hometowns in which it operates by donating much-needed, high-quality food to local charities fighting hunger.

Now through Dec. 24, customers can purchase pre-assembled bags of food for $6 (varies) as they’re checking out at the register at any of Save A Lot’s 656 participating stores nationwide. Each bag is stocked with private label and brand name food items, including pasta, stuffing mix, canned beans and other pantry staples from Save A Lot.

As the Bags for a Brighter Holiday program enters its seventh year, Save A Lot will also leverage the campaign to again support No Kid Hungry, a national campaign to end childhood hunger in America. In addition to donating bags of food to local charities, the company will provide a matching $6 donation for every bag purchased on Giving Tuesday (Nov. 29) to No Kid Hungry. Given that $1 invested can help provide 10 meals** for children, Save A Lot encourages all shoppers to help make an impactful difference for youth across the country.

Millions of children in the United States face hunger every day– as many as one in eight kids this year. No Kid Hungry has a plan to help make sure those children get the healthy meals they need to thrive. Through a combination of emergency grants, strategic assistance, advocacy and awareness, No Kid Hungry is helping kids, families and communities get the resources they need.

“With inflation continuing at record pace, many families are still struggling to put food on the table. But it’s inspiring to see how communities are rallying together to help address food insecurity—especially this holiday season,” said Tim Schroder, chief sales and marketing officer at Save A Lot. “Our Bags for a Brighter Holiday program gives Save A Lot shoppers a direct way to help us do a lot of good. Their donations aid neighbors directly and kids everywhere through our efforts to support No Kid Hungry on Giving Tuesday.”

“Every kid needs three meals a day to grow up healthy, happy and strong, yet millions are still missing those meals,” said Diana Hovey, Senior Vice President at Share Our Strength, the organization behind the No Kid Hungry campaign. “Save A Lot’s support on Giving Tuesday comes at a pivotal moment for ensuring kids have access to the right foods they need to grow, and we couldn’t be more honored to collaborate with the brand and its shoppers to help end childhood hunger across America.”

Save A Lot stores, which are locally owned and operated, are passionate about making a difference. From supporting local charities to sponsoring in-store fundraisers, product drives and events for customers, locations are committed to doing A Lot of Good.

For news on issues of interest in the specialty food industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.