Thank you to everyone who helped us to celebrate Hungry Hearts!

A message to all who helped make our signature culinary campaign such a success:

Thank you so much for being a part of our signature culinary campaign. You, our donors, sponsors, supporters, and Our Place champions

Because of you, we were able to raise $215,000 this year, a new record! You know exactly where the money will be going – right onto the plates of those in our community who struggle each day to find a nutritious meal, hope and belonging.

Congratulations again to our top three kitchens, Zambri’s, Sysco, and The Fairmont Empress. And a special thank you goes out to Chair Ian Batey and our entire event committee who helped make Saturday night so successful.

Based on the positive reactions we received from guests and donors like you, we will be holding a 10^th anniversary Hungry Hearts next year and I hope you will consider being a part of this vital campaign to help those experiencing poverty and homelessness in the Greater Victoria region.

If you have won a live or silent auction item and have not yet arranged pickup or delivery, Melissa will reach out to you in the coming days.

All the best and please do stay in touch. Together, we can make such a positive impact on our community.

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The gala returns to Delta Hotels by Marriott Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort on Saturday, September 9.

The evening will include sampling dishes from all 8 chefs (scroll down to see the this year’s fantastic menu), wonderful music by Cascadia Strings, special auctions, some great schmoozing and more.

We are also excited to present the Hungry Hearts broadcast as seen on CHEK Television on Saturday, September 2 at 6pm. The show allowed our eight chefs to show how they prepare their special dishes along with an opportunity for viewers to cast their vote for the dish they would most like to try. Click here

The Best of the Region auctions are back. There are over 200 items donated by so many of the region’s best businesses and beyond! Get your bids in. The auctions close on September 9 at 8:30pm!

Click here to get your tickets while they last!

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Ahead of the September 9 gala, we added a protein draw to this year’s chef competition to recognize that Our Place will need to raise $175,000 this year, just to provide the protein needed for the over 400,000 nutritious meals we are serving to our neighbours in need.

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Media release

June 12, 2023

For Immediate Release

Hungry Hearts Vital to Feeding Victoria Communities

Top Local Chefs Meet in 1 Week to Draw for Secret Protein Ingredient

VICTORIA, B.C. As the largest provider of emergency meals in the Greater Victoria region, the rising cost of ingredients has become a major challenge for Our Place.

“We need to find $175,000 this year alone just to purchase protein,” says Kitchen Manager Brian Cox whose team serves over 1,200 nutritious meals each day to those in need.

Our Place hopes to make a significant dent in food costs through its signature fundraising campaign, Hungry Hearts. The event will tie in the need for protein with a black box type competition.

It will all start on Friday, June 16 at 2:3pm at the Harbour Patio of Delta hotels By Marriott Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort, as the eight talented chefs competing in this year’s culinary competition will draw from a chef’s hat to find out which protein they will each be working with during the Hungry Hearts broadcast (September 2) and culinary gala (September 9).

“It’s exciting to think that nine years ago, Hungry Hearts started out as a simple soup and sandwich competition amongst 5 local restaurants,” explains Our Place CEO, Julian Daly. “Now it has grown into the region’s favourite culinary gala fundraiser.

Last year, Robert Cassels, Chef-Owner of Saveur Restaurant was named Hungry Hearts champion. Included in this year’s challenge will be some new and returning competitors. Chef Castro Boateng of the House of Boateng will be rejoining Hungry Hearts. Boateng is the only multi-year winner of the award and has also won numerous other awards for his culinary creations.

The full list of acclaimed Chef Competitors will represent:

• Delta Hotels by Marriott Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort
• Fairmont Empress
• House of Boateng Café & Catering
• Inn at Laurel Point
• Oak Bay Beach Hotel
• Sysco Victoria
• Virtuous Pie
• Zambri’s

Tickets are now available for the gala at www.hibid.ca or by calling 250-940-5064. Meanwhile, item viewing for Our Place’s Best of the Region online auction, with over 200 great items (including restaurant, hotel, health, beauty and pet packages) begins in late August also at hibid.ca. Bidding begins Aug 31 and Auction closes on Saturday, Sept 9 at 8:30 pm.

Since its inception, the event has raised over a million dollars in support of vital programs and services provided to those struggling with poverty and homelessness in Greater Victoria.”

Our Place Society has grown from a unique inner-city community centre to numerous locations serving Greater Victoria’s most vulnerable, including people struggling with homelessness, mental health challenges, substance use issues, the working poor, and impoverished elderly. Individuals and businesses provide over 50% of the financial support for its programs and services. Our Place provides over 1,200 meals every day, over 500 units of housing plus transitional shelter spaces, hot showers, education, job skills, health care, addiction recovery services, donated clothing, counseling and outreach services, and a 60-bin storage facility. Most importantly, Our Place provides a sense of hope and belonging to our neighbours in need.

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For further information, please contact:

Steven Seltzer, Manager of Special Events and Corporate Giving
T: 250-940-5064
Cell: 250-882-8441
Email: stevens@ourplacesociety.com

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The Hungry Hearts 2022 Gala Fundraiser  Remembered

Important update:

Congratulations to our winning chefs.

• 3rd place: Chef Dan Bain of the Delta Hotels by Marriott Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort
• 2nd Place: Chef Robert Budlong of the Camosun College Culinary Program
• 1st. Place: Chef Robert Cassels of Saveur Restaurant

Thank you to everyone who supported our Hungry Hearts campaign to raise much-needed funds so that we can continue to serve over 1,000 meals each day to those in need.

You can still watch the CHEK Television Hungry Hearts broadcast. Go to Hungry Hearts Gala 2022 – CHEK TV Special – YouTube to watch,