LIKE OOKIN’ MAMA
NOBODY DOES CHOME
by joel martens
hat do you getwhen you mix together everybody’s favorite motherin a fabulous
“melting pot,” (the La Jolla Hyatt at the Aventine), toss in 55 of the top San Diego chefs, then add a little pinch of music, a dash of good conversation, signature cocktails and whopper of a silent auction? You get Mama’s Day, the premier foodie-fest in San Diego and the most important fundraising event for Mama’s Kitchen!
The beginnings were very much a volunteer effort, I had the chance to chat with Executive Director Al-
berto Cortésabout how importantMama’s Kitchen is and the significance of the Mama’s Day 2012 Fundraiser—here is a little of that conversation: When I asked about the beginnings of the organi-
zation, he shared, “Mama’s Kitchen was established in 1990 at the heart of the AIDS epidemic, when hundreds of people were dying. Diagnosis back then was dramatically different, there were no treatments available and survival was virtually impossible. The genesis though, was when it was discovered that many of the patients who were sick, were also suffer- ing from malnutrition. They were often single, living alone and so sick they were unable to cook or care for themselves.” Initially Mama’s Kitchen started out providing one
meal per day, five days a week, then went on to add lunch to the deliveries. That evolved sometime in the ‘90s to include breakfast. Geographically it started out in the Hillcrest/North Park area and eventually grew city-wide. For many years now they have been providing three meals a day, seven days a week, 365 days per year—to anybody receiving their home delivered hot meal program.
12 RAGE monthly | MAY 2012
which is still a core value of who they are. I asked about the workers and staff members, “We have a staff now of 13 and a volunteer core of over 800 individuals who put in some 30,000 hours per year. The volunteers are involved in every aspect of the organization, including preparing and packaging the food, as well as delivery throughout San Diego County, driving about 120,000 miles per year.” I am always fascinated about the people who
volunteer at organizations such as these, so I asked Alberto to share a story about one. He fondly told me this, “Core volunteers have been with us from the very early days—some delivering food for 12, 15 or up to 23 years. One example is long-time volunteer Betty, who delivered food up until she stopped driv- ing about two years ago—she is 90 years old. She still contributes even yet, by giving the hot meals to the drivers, such an amazing lady. Just one example of the many people involved, all from different set- tings and experiences, with a broad base of interests within the community. One of the joys of being here is that breadth of diversity and part of that comes from this environment which is non-judgmental.” This is an organization that is worthy of our sup-
port. Its long-standing history of support for the community, with the thousands of people who have benefitted from services they offer, makes it special. A great illustration of this is the milestone they just recently celebrated—they served their 6 millionth meal! I was humbled by the stories that I heard from Alberto, who over the 12-year history with Mama’s Kitchen has many to share. Come out and sample the many offerings that will
be a part of the Mama’s Day occasion but remember to come hungry! You will enjoy music, food and fun throughout the evening and do more good by sim- ply purchasing a ticket than you could possibly know.
And after the party, consider volunteering… helping others is “a good thing.”
General admission tickets for Mama’s Day 2012 are just $125 per person, and will be $150 at the door. A limited number of premium VIP tickets are available at $250 per person, which includes early access at 5:30 p.m. to the exclusive VIP reception just before the doors open to general admission attendees at 6:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at mamaskitchen. org. For more information, please contact Kim Sontag at 619. 233.6262or
kim@mamaskitchen.org
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