A fundraising event to help put fresh food into the hands of culinary students is taking place in Maple Ridge.
Denim and Diamonds will be the theme of the evening for the event that will benefit the Take a Bite of B.C. program, one of the many programs offered by the B.C. Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation.
The Take a Bite of B.C. program was launched in 2009 and delivers fresh, B.C. grown products to secondary schools across the province running a Culinary Arts program.
It started with only 14 schools participating and has grown to more than 50 schools and more than 7,200 Culinary Arts students.
READ MORE: Chef Trevor Randle with Maple Ridge Secondary School is one of the founding chefs of the program.
The program builds awareness for teachers and their students about the abundance of local, fresh, and delicious products grown throughout the province, reads the foundation’s website.
It also teaches students to appreciate of the value of local farms and farmland to their communities, the economy, and the environment.
It promotes healthy food choices in the kitchen to Culinary Arts students, who will be the future chefs and farm-to-table ambassadors.
And, the program provides instructors and their students with fresh, healthy food that they will, in turn, serve to an additional 65,000 students on a regular basis in their school cafeterias.
RELATED: Maple Ridge chef tops in B.C. for agriculture in the classroom
The fundraiser takes place from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on April 25 at the Thomas Haney Centre, 23000 116 Ave. in Maple Ridge.
The evening will feature a gourmet dinner, prizes and auctions.
Tickets are $85 or $625 for a table of eight and are available at bcaitc.ca.
Net proceeds will benefit the Take A Bite of B.C. program.
cflanagan@mapleridgenews.com
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