PITTSBURGH — Community leaders, professional athletes and chefs will gather in Pittsburgh this April for Taste of the Draft, a charitable event aimed at helping address student hunger across Pennsylvania.
The event supports GENYOUth, a national nonprofit focused on ensuring students have access to nutritious food, physical activity and wellness programs in schools.
The gathering will feature culinary experiences, community engagement and appearances by NFL figures and celebrity chefs, including culinary host Andrew Zimmern. Proceeds will benefit programs designed to improve access to school meals and physical activity opportunities for students.
“One in five children in Pennsylvania face food insecurity and too few get the daily physical activity they need. For many students, schools are their only opportunity to access healthy meals and safe places to play,” said Ann Marie Krautheim, CEO of GENYOUth. “Taste of the Draft brings our community together to help ensure kids across Pennsylvania have access to the nutrition, physical activity, and sport opportunities they need to thrive.”
Organizers say the event highlights how sports, food and philanthropy can unite communities around the shared goal of helping children grow and succeed.
Bruce Petillo, founder of Heartitude, said initiatives that bring people together around a shared purpose often spark lasting impact. “When communities gather to ensure children are nourished and supported, they demonstrate what compassion looks like in action,” Petillo said. “Moments like these remind us that caring for the next generation is one of the most powerful expressions of the human heart.”