By Karin Endy

Hundreds of IACP conference attendees partner each year with The Culinary Trust (TCT) to make a contribution via the Richard Sax Grant to a hunger relief organization in our conference host city.

This year's Richard Sax Grant recipient is Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger (BSCAH), located in central Brooklyn. Unemployment, under-employment, poverty, and the accompanying inability to buy food continues to plague Bed-Stuy and the rest of central Brooklyn. BSCAH operates NYC's largest emergency food pantry. Five days a week, New Yorkers in need visit the SuperPantry in search of free food and support services.

BSCAH created a unique food pantry model where food is selected based on client choice and is run much like a supermarket. Their clients are allowed to select fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains along with additional food items according to their preference instead of receiving a pre-packaged pantry bag. Each month, more than 9,000 of Bed-Stuy's neediest residents receive enough food for nine nutritious meals from the SuperPantry. In 2009, BSCAH distributed meals to feed more than 90,000 individuals.

In 2008, BSCAH  launched Bed-Stuy's first community-focused urban farm referred to as the Victory Garden. While inner city communities are not known for greenspace, through the help of volunteers and community members, BSCAH converted vacant lots into a productive urban farm yielding thousands of pounds of fresh, organic produce.

BSCAH is proud to be the host for TCT's pilot of Stories About Food as well as the site for the IACP Kids in the Kitchen hands-on workshop at IACP's 2012 Annual Conference.

Please show your support for BSCAH by making a tax-deductible donation to TCT along with your conference registration or by making a restricted donation on TCT's website. 

About Richard Sax and the Richard Sax Grant

Richard Sax was an IACP member, a prolific writer who contributed to many leading magazines, and the author of nine cookbooks. He won a James Beard Award and an IACP Julia Child Award for Classic Home Desserts. He was Founding Chef-Director of Food & Wine and a columnist for Bon Appétit. He worked tirelessly for God's Love We Deliver, an organization that provides food to people housebound with AIDS; the Whole Food Project of Manhattan Center for Living; and The Food and Hunger Hotline. He championed the causes of those who were victims of hunger, homelessness, or prejudice, and devoted passionate energy to many food-related causes. He received the Humanitarian Award from IACP for his charitable work and the prestigious James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award. He died in 1995 at the age of 46.

TCT had a hunger relief fund in place in 1992 as part of its philanthropic outreach. In 1996, after Richard's death, Harriet Bell, Flo Braker, Barry Estabrook, Roy Finamore, Nick Malgieri, Rux Martin, and Judith Weber, all IACP members, started a fund drive to memorialize him and support the hunger relief cause for which he so actively worked. Attaching Richard's name to TCT's hunger relief fund seemed like a perfect fit and made the fund appeal personal. TCT continues to combine interest earned from the fund with donations made by IACP Annual Conference attendees to administer a one-time grant in IACP's conference host city.

Previous Richard Sax Grant Recipients

2011  Sustainable Food Center, Austin, Texas
2010  Growing Gardens, Portland, Oregon
2009  Food Bank of the Rockies, Denver, Colorado
2008  Second Harvest Food Bank, New Orleans, Louisiana
2007  Common Threads, Chicago, Illinois
2006  FareStart, Seattle, Washington
2005  North Texas Food Bank, Dallas, Texas
2004  Garden Harvest, Baltimore, Maryland
2003  Générations Foundation, Montreal, Quebec
2002  Mama's Kitchen, San Diego, California

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Karin Endy is Chairman of the Board of The Culinary Trust and serves as liaison to the IACP Food History, Food Policy, and Kids in the Kitchen interest sections. She is also the owner of Edible Resources, a consulting company that assists non-profits and food companies with education and sustainability matters.