Wine & Food Foundation of Texas Announces Charitable Gifts

The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas (WFFT) will distribute more than $50,000 to four Texas-based, nonprofit organizations supporting health and education in the lifecycle of food and wine in the second half of 2014. The contributions further the WFFT’s mission to better the health and well-being of our community by funding culinary scholarships, educational grants and other deserving causes.

Beneficiaries include the following organizations:

• Austin Food for Life– dedicated to helping local food and beverage industry professionals, including farmers and artisans, access affordable health care solutions.
• Sustainable Food Center (SFC)– through organic food gardening, relationships with area farmers, interactive cooking classes and nutrition education, SFC creates opportunities for individuals to make healthy food choices and participate in a vibrant local food system. The WFFT previously contributed a grant of $20,000 to the SFC in 2006.
• Texas A&M AgriLife Viticulture & Fruit Lab– located in Fredericksburg, Texas, the laboratory assists the Texas Hill Country wine/grape industry with research into disease-resistant pathogens, namely Pierce’s Disease and Cotton Root Rot, which have been detrimental to vineyard production across several of the state’s grape growing regions.
• Texas Sommelier Association (TEXSOM)– formed in 2005 to promote and raise public awareness of professional wine service standards as well as outline paths for furthering wine education and sommelier certification. WFFT recognizes the important role TEXSOM plays in the education of a large number of wine professionals and has donated $25,000 to the conference annually since 2006.

WFFT Board President Mark Shilling said, “The Foundation is delighted to help financially support and partner with other charities and nonprofits whose missions promote health and education in the world of food and wine.  The organizations we’ve selected for the remainder of this year offer programs and services that benefit Texas families, farmers, restaurant employees, sommeliers, vineyard owners and winemakers.”

The announcement of second-half 2014 beneficiaries follows WFFT’s $40,000 donation in the first half of 2014 supporting nutritional programs at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, bringing WFFT’s matched-cash contributions for Dell Children’s to more than $130,000 over the last two years.  Since 1985, WFFT has given approximately $2 million to charitable and other nonprofit organizations through its general 501(c)(3) fundraising operations.

About The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas (WFFT)

The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas is a membership-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that uses the public’s passion for wine and food to better the community’s education, health and well-being. WFFT hosts large, public wine and food events, wine/food educational opportunities, and the annual Rare & Fine Wine Auction, one of the nation’s premier wine auctions.  Since its inception in 1985, WFFT has donated approximately $2 million to other charitable and nonprofit organizations.  Please visit www.winefoodfoundation.org for more information. Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook.