Taste of the Nation DC Hosts Volunteer Recruitment Happy Hour

[rbrand2911]

Join Taste of the Nation DC

For a Volunteer Happy Hour at PS 7’s

Love DC’s culinary scene? Can’t get enough of the District’s restaurants? Are you a foodie looking to do good for the community? Join Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation® Washington, DC committee chairs as they host an informative volunteer recruitment happy hour at

PS 7’s on Wednesday, September 9th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Taste of the Nation DC is one of the city’s premiere culinary tasting events. Last year’s sold out event featured 50 of Washington’s top restaurants, chefs and mixologists, raising a staggering $150,000 that benefited local charities including Capital Area Food Bank, DC Hunger Solutions and Mary’s Center. And Taste of the Nation 2010 promises to be bigger and better than ever, scheduled for Monday, April 12th at the National Building Museum.

Snack on complimentary hors d’oeuvres and sip on special select $4 wines and $3 beers, while learning more about Taste of the Nation and volunteering on the 2010 planning committee. Whether interested in assisting on a committee or finding out about volunteering at the actual event, join Taste of the Nation committee chairs to learn about what you can do to end childhood hunger in our area.

Taste of the Nation 2010 will feature Chef Chair R.J. Cooper of Vidalia, Mixologist Chair Derek Brown of Gibson, and Wine Chair Sommelier Nadine Brown of Charlie Palmer Steak.

PS 7’s is located at 777 I Street, NW; Washington, DC 20001. Please RSVP to DCTaste@gmail.com.

We look forward to seeing you there!

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[goodeats]

Kick-off for Taste of the Nation 2011!

If you are interested in volunteering for this year's planning committee, come to the happy hour to learn more about volunteer opportunities.

Date: Wednesday September 22nd

Time: 5:30-8:00 p.m.

Location: Back courtyard, Poste Brasserie, 555 8th Street NW or enter through the Hotel Monaco.

[schulju]

Kick-off for Taste of the Nation 2011!

If you are interested in volunteering for this year's planning committee, come to the happy hour to learn more about volunteer opportunities.

Date: Wednesday September 22nd

Time: 5:30-8:00 p.m.

Location: Back courtyard, Poste Brasserie, 555 8th Street NW or enter through the Hotel Monaco.

I would be very interested in volunteering, but I wouldn't be able to get there until 6:30 or so...would that matter?

[leleboo]

I would be very interested in volunteering, but I wouldn't be able to get there until 6:30 or so...would that matter?

Do you just want to volunteer day-of, or do you want to be part of the planning (bi-monthly meetings from now til April, working for one of the committees)? If the latter, come on down, and 6:30 is perfectly fine. If the former, you're off the hook til later events (but we can let you know how to put your name in to make sure you're on the list).

[Choirgirl21]

Do you just want to volunteer day-of, or do you want to be part of the planning (bi-monthly meetings from now til April, working for one of the committees)? If the latter, come on down, and 6:30 is perfectly fine. If the former, you're off the hook til later events (but we can let you know how to put your name in to make sure you're on the list).

Can anyone share more info about the types of committees and the work involved (I realize that's the point of the happy hour, so just a brief explanation) to help us decide if we have the time available to commit? Unfortunately it's not easy feat for me to get to a DC bar on a weeknight by that time, hence the need for pre-info.

[leleboo]

Can anyone share more info about the types of committees and the work involved (I realize that's the point of the happy hour, so just a brief explanation) to help us decide if we have the time available to commit? Unfortunately it's not easy feat for me to get to a DC bar on a weeknight by that time, hence the need for pre-info.

The work is a lot of outreach, really, plus the hour-every-other-week meetings (in DC; last year we met on Tuesdays at 6:30). Our committees were:

Restaurant

Auction

Sponsorship

Beverage

PR/Marketing

Operations

Volunteer

Hunger Messaging

So the restaurant committee spends time contacting restaurants to participate (and then managing their needs), and I believe the Beverage Cmte does much the same for sommelier, winery, and mixologist participation; on Ops we're about contacting vendors and asking for donations of goods and services, plus arranging for day-of support with the venue, etc. (I oversaw our light and sound folks so I was on-site from 9 a.m. til we vacated the premises last year.) The Volunteer committee manages the day-of volunteers so their work is sort of back-loaded to the day of the event; and Auction, Sponsorship, PR, and Hunger Messaging have a lot of overlap and are pretty much what they sound like: arranging the gifts for and running the silent auction (but those gifts can be part of sponsorship, for example), and then PR and HM coordinate the marketing and the branding of the event.

How much time varies, but for those committees that are tasked with doing a lot of the asking for sponsors, vendors, and participants, it can eat up a lot of your free time to call and email. :-) Some committees do more closer to the end, while some do more at the beginning, so if you come and learn more, it might help you figure it out.

(rbrand2911 and other TOTN official representatives, if I'm speaking out of turn or have gotten anything wrong, please correct me, and I will happily amend and/or delete my post.)

[goodeats]

I just received an email from ToN DC and am not sure if it's the annual recruitment or a slight HH fundraiser for Taste of the Nation/Share our Strength.

Either way, here is the info:

Have something to look forward to on Wednesday evening--and help fight childhood hunger--at this special happy hour with DC’s Taste of The Nation and U Street wine bar Vinoteca. With a $10 suggested donation--payable at the door--you can enjoy extended happy hour specials (including $5 glasses of wine) until 9pm.

So grab a friend or two and join the DC Taste of The Nation Committee as we drink for a good cause.

What: A Happy Hour to Support Share Our Strength and DC’s Taste of The Nation

When: Wednesday September 21st, 6:30-9:00pm

Where: Vinoteca Wine Bar, 1940 11th Street N.W.