Feed More and Richmond Restaurant Week celebrate 20 years of hunger-relief partnership

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — This year is the 20th anniversary of Richmond Restaurant Week, a partnership with Feed More to help raise thousands of dollars to support hunger relief every year.

Participating restaurants have donated a portion of their sales from the event each year which, in turn, have helped fund over 3.2 million meals across the span of two decades.

Guests could visit participating restaurants and order from a pre-fixed menu and a portion of the bill would be donated to Feed More — a win-win.

Many restaurants are participating in the annual event this year, despite taking big financial blows during the pandemic. Restaurant Week Founder Aline Reitzer explains how this year will be different.

“We wanted to really make it an easy ask for the restaurants,” she said. “Instead of doing a set menu, we said we will just ask the guest to go out and donate a straight-up $5 to Feed More. Just go out to eat, support the restaurants, and if you can give $5, give $5. If you can give $100, give $100. That entirety goes to Feed More.”

Richmond Restaurant Week 2021 begins on Oct. 18 and lasts through Oct. 31.

A plate of food at one local restaurant during Richmond Restaurant Week. (Photo: 8News File Video)

“You really see these people love putting out food,” Christy Dalton of Feed More said of the participating restaurants. “And they love using their food to provide food for other people. It is a big circle of the community coming together to help those who need it.”

When Richmond Restaurant Week was first established in 2001, only nine businesses participated. Since then, the restaurant scene in the city has blossomed and over 60 businesses are helping to make a difference.

“It is the true definition of neighbor helping neighbor,” Dalton said.

Feed More preps boxes of meals for families in need. (Photo: Tyler Thrasher)

Dalton serves as the Community Event Manager for the hunger-relief nonprofit and said after 20 years of Richmond Restaurant Week, the special annual event has exploded in popularity.

“It is amazing how much it has grown, and the donations have grown. Over the 20 years, we have received over $800,000 from them,” Dalton said.

Feed More currently serves 29 counties and five cities across Central Virginia.

Montell Jones is the Food Production Manager at Feed More and said the work they do hardly feels like work.

“It definitely isn’t just a job. Working in food service or culinary, you are servicing people every day. But this is a different feel because you are helping a community and helping someone that is in need,” Jones said, noting that helping those in need is exactly what Richmond Restaurant Week is all about.