Feast proves bountiful for Heifer basket.
Dinner helps Heifer International assist home-grown enterprises
Heifer International’s Feast in the Field — the white-attire party kicking off summer ’17 in Little Rock — took place June 9 at the organization’s headquarters and raised about $180,000 as part of its Beyond Hunger initiative.
Designed as a fundraiser to help family farmers in Arkansas and steered by chairman Karen Fetzer, Feast featured food produced by those farmers and prepared by Little Rock Marriott’s Heritage Grille Steak & Fun. Gracing the menu were an arugula and spinach salad with roasted squash, cucumber and pickled beets, Lost Forty beer-braised pork chops with mustard-cider glaze, London broil flank steak with chimichurri, root vegetable casserole, purple hull pea succotash and strawberry buttermilk ice cream.
Beforehand, guests gathered on the lawn to enjoy light appetizers by chef Mary Beth Ringgold, sip cocktails, view a few alpacas and livestock in pens, listen to the sounds of the Finch Family Trio and make on-the-spot donations to buy livestock to benefit the farmers.
The meal and program took place in the pavilion behind the headquarters. David Bazzel and Mallory Brooks were the evening’s masters of ceremonies. Ashley and Steve Dettelbach, co-owners of Dettelbach Farms in Wynne and members of New South Produce and Grass Roots Farmers’ cooperatives, were the featured speakers.
The Dettelbachs shared stories about raising livestock, fruits and vegetables, their four children, and working with the co-ops, the boards of which Steve Dettelbach serves as membership manager. Other remarks came from Fetzer and Pierre Ferrari, president and chief executive officer of Heifer. Guests ended their evening by dancing to the sounds of Brown Soul Shoes.
Heifer’s mission is “to end hunger and poverty while caring for the earth.”