State Fair vendors donate unused food to community food banks, nonprofits
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) - The State Fair of Texas is working after closing its gates.
Staff at the fairgrounds worked with their vendors for a special food drive Monday.
"I got eggs and ham and cheese up front," Magnolia Beer Gardens, Isaac Rousso said.
As the thousands of people start to break down the different stands and rides at Fair Park, on the backside of the fairgrounds there are still thousands of pounds of food left behind.
"We're able to donate some stuff that we feel important to go back in the community that we're not going to be using for the rest of the year," Rousso said. "So, we have ham and cheese and eggs and onions and sauces, brisket and pork."
Rousso is just one of the more than 80 different concession stand owners who are giving back to those in need.
"I brought it in, we already placed some on the tables and I'm going to go back to my stand and see what else I can bring more," the owner of Lupita's Gorditas, Lupita Valerio said,
"We want to be able to give back, and be a good neighbor in our community and really help our neighbors in South Dallas, Fair Park," Public Relations Senior Vice President, Karissa Condoianis said.
This all started in 2014 when the fair staff realized there was so much unused food that shouldn't go to waste at the end of the State Fair.
"It's going to be a blessing for a lot of people," one local organization worker said.
Now food banks and other local nonprofits like Inspired Vision Compassionate Center are excited to receive.
"Right now everything's right for a lot of families and distributors," Trevelan Belknap with Inspired Vision Compassionate Center said. "So everything we can bring in blesses somebody and it helps to meet the need."
Belknap said they serve 1500-1800 families every day just down the street from the fair.
"I hope they know a lot of work went into preparing it from all the companies all the donors and from big Tex here who helped put this together... this traveled quite a ways to get to them," Belknap said,
"We're so blessed to be a part of this fair that whatever we can do to give back we want to do it," Rousso said.
Some of the food donated will be prepared for meals for people in need right away, meanwhile, all the other food items will go to nine different organizations in the South Dallas area, where they will be able to make meals all the way up into the holidays.