Instacart and Lineage Join as Presenting Sponsors for DC’s Baddest Night of Doing Good on November 7th at The Anthem
In a year that marks a number of important milestones for DC Central Kitchen, the iconic social enterprise is excited to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Capital Food Fight. Long hailed as “DC’s Baddest Night of Doing Good,” the event has raised more than $12 million in support of the organization’s programming. This year’s event, set for November 7th at The Anthem, is presented by Instacart and Lineage Foundation for Good.
“Just as DC Central Kitchen has always sought to fight hunger differently, Capital Food Fight has always been a fundamentally different type of event,” says Mike Curtin, CEO of DC Central Kitchen. “For 20 years, we have come together to celebrate our local restaurant community and the relentless, innovative work of DC Central Kitchen on the front lines of hunger and poverty. We are so grateful to the thousands of attendees, restaurants, and sponsors who have made this the best event in the city.”
For the first time in the event’s history, Capital Food Fight is honored to have two Presenting Sponsors share top billing, making this year’s event possible. Both Presenting Sponsors, Instacart and Lineage Foundation, are year-round supporters of DC Central Kitchen’s innovative programs. They are joined by 12-time Showcase Sponsor CoBank and returning Pantry Sponsor Wegmans, whose support dates back to the mid-2000s.
“At Instacart, we’re on a mission to help ensure every family can access the nutritious food they need,” said Casey Aden-Wansbury, Vice President of Policy & Government Affairs at Instacart. “We have been proud to support DC Central Kitchen’s extraordinary work to fight hunger and poverty across the District, and we are thrilled to once again be part of DC’s Baddest Night of Doing Good as it celebrates its 20th year. We look forward to continuing to work closely with DC Central Kitchen on our shared goal to bring nutritious food to families and communities across the District.”
“Lineage Foundation for Good is proud of the strong partnership it has forged with DC Central Kitchen in a shared, community-wide effort to end senseless food waste and reroute quality food to people in need,” said Hannah Hoskins, Executive Director at Lineage Foundation for Good. “We’re proud to play a key supporting role at the 20th anniversary of the Capital Food Fight and look forward to another meaningful, successful event in November.”
Created in 2004 in partnership with long-time volunteer Chef José Andrés, Capital Food Fight is DC Central Kitchen’s signature annual fundraiser. All event proceeds benefit the organization’s award-winning job training and nutrition programs in Washington, DC. Guests are treated to a thrilling live show as four local chefs compete in an onstage battle hosted and judged by the biggest names in the culinary world along with appearances from legends in the worlds of culinary arts, professional sports, news and music. Eric Ripert, Carla Hall, Daniel Boulud, Kristen Kish, Tom Colicchio, Padma Lakshmi, Andrew Zimmern, Maneet Chauhan, Spike Mendelsohn, Duff Goldman, Justin Sutherland, and the late Anthony Bourdain are just a handful of the culinary marquee names who have joined Andrés on the event stage and taken a seat at the judges’ table through the decades. The roster of past battling chefs includes a veritable who’s who of industry pioneers and up-and-coming rockstars of the DC food scene, including Ris Lacoste, Michael Mina, Victor Albisu, Spike Gjerde, Bryan Voltaggio, Scott Drewno, Marcelle Afram, Erik Bruner Yang, Amy Brandywine, and Ria Montes, just to name a few.
This year’s battling chefs and celebrity judging panel will be announced later this summer with tickets going on sale to the general public just after Labor Day. Sponsorship opportunities are now available with packages ranging from $3,000 up to $50,000.
For more information about Capital Food Fight, visit capitalfoodfight.org and follow DC Central Kitchen on social media @dccentralkitchen (Facebook & Instagram) & @dcck (X/Twitter) for up-to-the-minute updates.
ABOUT DC CENTRAL KITCHEN
DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) is an iconic nonprofit and social enterprise that combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. Our approach provides hands-on culinary job training while creating living-wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignified food where it is most needed in our city. We serve scratch-cooked farm-to-school meals in DC schools; deliver fresh, affordable produce to corner stores in neighborhoods without supermarkets; provide delicious catering; and operate fast-casual cafes that also provide on-the-job training. DCCK has been featured in national media including The Washington Post, The Atlantic, PBS NewsHour, Civil Eats, and more. To learn more, visit dccentralkitchen.org or follow @dccentralkitchen on Instagram and @dcck on X.
ABOUT INSTACART
Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, works with grocers and retailers to transform how people shop. The company partners with more than 1,500 national, regional, and local retail banners to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 85,000 stores across North America on the Instacart Marketplace. Instacart makes it possible for millions of people to get the groceries they need from the retailers they love, and for approximately 600,000 Instacart shoppers to earn by picking, packing and delivering orders on their own flexible schedule. The Instacart Platform offers retailers a suite of enterprise-grade technology products and services to power their e-commerce experiences, fulfill orders, digitize brick-and-mortar stores, provide advertising services, and glean insights. With Instacart Ads, thousands of CPG brands – from category leaders to emerging brands – partner with the company to connect directly with consumers online, right at the point of purchase. With Instacart Health, the company is providing tools to increase nutrition security, make healthy choices easier for consumers, and expand the role that food can play in improving health outcomes. For more information, visit www.instacart.com/company, and to start shopping, visit www.instacart.com.
ABOUT LINEAGE FOUNDATION FOR GOOD
The Lineage Foundation for Good (the “Foundation”) is the independent philanthropic arm of Lineage. Stacked with unique cold chain expertise and strategic relationships a plenty, the Foundation is bridging the hunger gap across the world and in our local communities – and everyone is invited to be a part of it. No one likes to see food go to waste, especially while people go hungry. That’s why Lineage Foundation for Good is stepping up to find second chances for surplus food. Our mission is to develop a dynamic, real-time and global link between those who commercially produce our food and the individuals, families and communities who need it most. We know the issue of food waste and insecurity is a global one that is also felt close to home – and with our collective of customers, volunteers and donation partners all around the world, our impact can reach further. In other words, there’s nowhere for hunger and food waste to hide.