A Meal to Remember Raises Big Bucks

Last Friday, more than 300 guests gathered at the St. Regis Atlanta for the 22nd annual “A Meal to Remember.” The gala raised money for Meals On Wheels Atlanta and this year it raised more than $360,000.

A lot of time and effort goes into planning an event of this magnitude. Hopefully, by the time the guests arrive, everything runs smoothly and everyone has an enjoyable evening and doesn’t know about the “behind the scenes” problems that might occur.

Garnering the liquor license from the City of Atlanta is a feat unto itself. Dealing with last minute printing changes for the program can drive a person crazy. Discovering at 5:00 pm that every table is missing one place card is a problem. Ensuring that every auction item makes it to the hotel and gets placed with its appropriate sign and bid sheet takes an army of volunteers. Dealing with Atlanta traffic on a Friday evening makes guests, volunteers, and auctioneers run late. A flu epidemic forced some volunteers to stay home. A guest chef was “missing” the day before the event. Realizing on Friday afternoon that the sculptures for the guest chefs were never picked up and sending a staff member on a mad dash across town.

As you can see, a lot happens behind the scenes to ensure that our guests enjoy a fabulous gourmet meal paired with outstanding wines in a beautiful ballroom on a Friday night in November – all to make sure that seniors do not go hungry.

-- by Steve Hargrove, Director of Events and Marketing