Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation—one of Portland's premier annual food events—will celebrate its 26th year at McMenamins Crystal Ballroom to benefit an extremely important cause.

More than 250,000 Oregonian children are food insecure, making Oregon one of the hungriest states in the country. Food insecurity is especially a concern in isolated rural communities, which often have limited access to fresh and affordable foods.

Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry program uses proceeds from national events like Taste of the Nation to connect children to food and nutrition efforts like school breakfast, summer meals, and SNAP (food stamps), as well as empowering kids, parents, and families with cooking education programs and healthy food shopping skills. 

Portland's show-stopping, belly-filling event is coming to McMenamins Crystal Ballroom on Tuesday, May 8th, bringing together dozens of amazing local restaurants, distillers, brewers, and wineries to benefit local non-profits working to address hunger in Oregon.

In addition to supporting Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger nation-wide, this year’s beneficiaries include the Oregon Food Bank, Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, St. Vincent de Paul Food Recovery Program, and Klamath-Lake Counties Food Bank (Klamath-Lake Counties are among the most hungry in the state, and every ticket purchased helps the men and women working to feed our fellow Oregonians).

The culinary line-up reads like a Best Of Portland list, with gourmet nibbles from Aviary, Bamboo Sushi, Boke Bowl, Broder, Departure, Irving Street Kitchen, Lardo, Olympic Provisions, Salt & Straw, Smallwares, St. Jack, Wildwood, and many more.

LUXE and VIP ticket holders will also have access to treats from exclusive GEM restaurants, wineries, and breweries (Imperial, Ox, Racion, Riffle NW, Roe, Anam Cara Cellars, Chandon, Moet, Penner-Ash Wine Cellars, and pFriem Family Brewers) at a special pre-event gathering.

The wine will be flowing, the beer and cider will be tapped, and the cocktails will be shaken all night long. Best of all, the price of just one general admission ticket will help over 18 people eat a nutritious, filling meal. We’ll raise a glass to that. Tickets for the tasting and silent auction start at just $85, and can be purchased by heading to the Taste of the Nation 2013 website.