The culinary event showcases inner working of homeless facility and includes gourmet menu designed by students of organization’s Freddie Evarkiou Culinary Arts Program
Father Joe’s Villages wants to treat you to a night of fine wine, delicious hors d’oeuvres and stunning panoramic views. The third annual Taste of the Village, sponsored by Banner Bank, will take place on Thursday, March 3 atop Father Joe’s 16th and Commercial building. The event will give an insider’s glimpse into the homeless services provider’s operations and serve as an opportunity to meet with the not-for-profit’s staff, board members and CEO.
“Just like families rally around delicious food every night of the week, our Taste of the Village will provide an opportunity to our family of supporters to connect over food,” said Deacon Jim Vargas. “We’re proud to give an insider’s glimpse into St. Vincent de Paul Village and our work to end homelessness, which we consider a goal and our sacred obligation.”
Last year’s Taste of the Village featured a tour of Father Joe’s Villages’ permanent housing facility. The organization treated guests to a gourmet meal designed by the Freddie Evarkiou Culinary Arts Program students and a view of downtown from atop Father Joe’s permanent housing facility. This year will expand many of those facets and provide a special interactive tour of St. Vincent de Paul Village—an experience chronicling the path of a homeless neighbor as s/he makes his/her way back to self-reliance.
San Diego is home to more than 8,700 homeless men, women and families, making it the fifth largest population of homeless in the U.S. and the third largest for homeless veterans. In 2014, Father Joe’s Villages provided services to nearly 15,000 people, served up to 3,000 meals daily to the homeless and working poor and helped seven out of 10 people served by Village programs to exit to permanent housing.
Tickets are $50 per person and can be purchased online or by calling (619) 446-2116.
For more information on other services and programs, visit www.neighbor.org.
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ABOUT FATHER JOE’S VILLAGES
As San Diego’s largest homeless services provider, Father Joe’s Villages has been empowering people to achieve self-sufficiency for 65 years. What started as a small chapel serving San Diego’s impoverished has grown into a cutting-edge provider of effective housing programs and services. Father Joe’s prepares up to 3,000 meals and works with more than 1,500 individuals every day—from infants and adolescents to adults and seniors. This includes over 200 children and over 200 military veterans. As an industry thought-leader, Father Joe’s offers solutions to address the complex needs of the homeless, regardless of age, race, culture or beliefs. The organization’s primary goal is to transform lives and end the cycle of homelessness for the more than 8,700 homeless individuals in San Diego County. To this end they provide housing, healthcare, food, clothing, education, job training and child development in an internationally modeled “one-stop-shop” approach. This mission is made possible only through the efforts of compassionate staff, dedicated volunteers, and generous public and private donors. For more information, please visit: https://www.neighbor.org.
