Centre County United Way’s signature fundraiser won’t return this year thanks to a costly snowstorm.
On Tuesday, the local nonprofit confirmed it won’t make up its 2022 “Taste of the Town” event after a Dec. 15 snowstorm initially forced its postponement. Citing the complexities of a rescheduled event, Centre County United Way officials are cutting their losses and focusing on 2023.
“Given the size of the event — with more than 30 food and beverage vendors and 500 guests — the only local facility large enough to accommodate Taste of the Town is the Bryce Jordan Center,” said event coordinator Celesta Powell. “The BJC has a very busy went schedule, and finding a day that works for them and for our vendors is not an easy task, so, unfortunately, we had to make this tough decision. We want to thank everyone involved in the planning of Taste of the Town. It takes a team of dedicated volunteers to pull off an event of this size with so many moving pieces.”
A move to the Bryce Jordan Center in 2022 was expected to help Centre County United Way accommodate more guests at the event, which was formerly hosted at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. The three-hour dinner was set to feature food and drinks from more than 30 local establishments, including restaurants, bakeries, breweries, wineries and food trucks.
Taste of the Town serves as Centre County United Way’s largest annual fundraiser, enabling the nonprofit to fund programs that serve local families and residents who can’t afford basic needs such as housing, transportation, food, health care or child care.
In a statement, board chair David Gaines said the fundraiser’s cancellation will be challenging to overcome.
“It was a difficult decision but, of course, the right one for the safety of our vendors, attendees, volunteers and wider community partners,” Gaines said. “The money raised at Taste of the Town is part of our 2022 annual campaign. Those funds are allocated to programs run by our partner agencies that focus on health, education and financial stability.”
“The loss of donations we would have received from Taste of the Town is what is truly devastating,” Gaines continued.
Most Taste of the Town sponsors allowed Centre County United Way to keep their donations, the organization said. And while Ticketmaster has already refunded the costs of planned attendees’ tickets, community members are asked to donate ticket prices back to the organization.
“On behalf of community members in need, we are humbly appealing to those who had planned to attend Taste of the Town to donate their ticket price back to CCUW and to ask their family and friends to support the 2022 campaign with a donation,” Gaine said. “We recognize this is an unusual request at an unusual time. Still, we are asking everyone to think about neighbors who are struggling and to give whatever they can.”
While the dinner is off the table, Taste of the Town’s annual auction will continue remotely. The silent auction, aptly titled “Snowed Out,” will stretch from Dec. 21 through Jan. 6 online and feature items from local establishments.
Taste of the Town dates back to 1997 when the AIDS Project of Centre County gathered 16 local restaurants and caterers for an exhibition at the Ramada Inn in State College. The event series soon moved to the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center and continued until the AIDS Project closed and handed Taste of the Town over to Centre County United Way.
In the last decade, Taste of the Town has become Centre County United Way’s largest fundraiser. Proceeds from the event annually benefit United Way partner organizations that support Centre County residents and families with food, shelter, utilities, health care services and more.
For more information on Centre County United Way, visit its website at www.ccunitedway.org.
