Taste of Shelby County: Good food for a good cause

This year’s Taste of Shelby County will give attendees the chance to sample local food and drink from 25 select businesses providing local food and drink while they are giving back to the area schools.

On Sept. 8, the Shelby County Schools Education Foundation is hosting the Ninth Annual Taste of Shelby County fundraiser. This year, the event is changing locations, and will take place at Jefferson State Community College, whose culinary team has been involved with the event for several years.

The director of the Education Foundation, Kendall Williams, has overseen the change of location, new restaurants and the addition of a silent auction for this year’s event.

“We are excited to have added new restaurants and business from the Shelby County area,” Williams said. “We have new places for people to try who have been to the event each year, and then some old favorites as well.”

While the event has experienced several small changes over the years, the main change that Williams pushed for is to publicize that Taste of Shelby County directly benefits the Education Foundation.

“We have been able to implement new grants based off of this event,” Williams said. “Students, teachers and principals can now apply for grants through the Education Foundation, and events like the Taste of Shelby County help support and fund those.”

Spreading this message has helped open the event up to parents and teachers, Williams said, who have jumped at the opportunity to give back while enjoying a night out.

“It is family friendly, so we do have a lot of kids that come, and we do have a lot of parents that make it a date night,” Williams said. “[But], in the end, it’s the impact that it makes for our students that is the important part.”

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. To purchase tickets or learn more about the event, call 682-5255 or visit shelbyedfoundation.org.