This year’s event will happen Sept. 28, from noon to 8 p.m. at Marcum Park and the RiversEdge Amphitheater. Admission is free.
An estimated 3,000 people attended last year’s event, with this years’ expected to be larger, with even a bigger variety of food trucks. Among those food trucks will be “suburban cuisine” of The Golden Goose, gourmet fusion of The Screaming Goat, barbecue with The Beerded Pig, plus the Chicken Mac Truck, Mexi-Q, Patriot Grill, Pit to Plate BBQ, The Poutine Machine, El Rancho Nuevo, Richard’s Pizza, Streetpops, Sweet & Savory Express, plus Mama Lynne’s Cheesecakes, The Italian Truck and Kona Ice.
From noon until 4 p.m., there will be family-friendly activities such as face-painting, salsa-making, animals from the Ohio State University Extension, plus vehicles from the Hamilton Fire Department for hands-on exploration, and a “Hunger Games Scavenger Hunt.”
Some activities, such as the face-painting, will be free, but the event’s festival games will cost money. The food trucks will pay a charge to participate in the event, so they will receive all their proceeds, but the trucks will have buckets allowing people to contribute to the foodbank.
Bands that are donating their talents, plus their performance times, include Swingfoot (noon), Martin Schlabach (1 p.m.), Dashboard Mary (1:30 p.m.), Mark Joshua (2:30 p.m.), Big Time Pharaohs (3 p.m.), Billy Two Shoes (4 p.m.), Kevin & Barb (5:40 p.m.) and H&R Rock (6:20 p.m.).
The performers will include classic rock, big bands, roots rockers and acoustic performers.
“Some of the musicians have been long-time supporters of Shared Harvest,” Shared Harvest founder Tina Osso said, “and we are excited to have such a great lineup of acts, especially when all of them are donating their time to the cause.”
“It’s really just about spreading awareness about hunger in our community,” Perdue said.
The foodbank distributes food donations to more than 90 charities in five counties — Butler, Warren, Darke, Preble and Miami.
Also at the event will be mascots from the Cincinnati Reds, Miami University and Hamilton High School.
Shared Harvest distributes food each weekend to 3,400 children who exhibit chronic signs of hunger through its BackPack program. It also distributes food every month to 1,700 senior citizens “living on the economic edge.”
Osso said she considered Marcum Park a perfect setting the event, because it is a beautiful new park that is centrally located, “and in the hub of a flurry of activity in Hamilton’s downtown revitalization.”
More information about the event can be found at www.foodforallrally.com.
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