Mat-Su Food Bank hosting annual Hearts 4 Hunger fundraising event Saturday

WASILLA — The Mat-Su Food Bank is gearing up for its annual fundraising event Hearts 4 Hunger at VFW Post 9365. This multifaceted function is the nonprofit’s biggest fundraiser of the year and the proceeds support their daily operations and programs.

“It should be a good time,” Mat-Su Food Bank Executive Director Eddie Ezelle said.

This year’s Hearts 4 Hunger event is featuring live and local music from the band Tripwire. There will be a live and silent auction with a dinner to follow.

Ezelle said there’s an exciting assortment of auction items to bid on this year, including a guitar autographed by Santana for, local day trip packages, and numerous guided tours across the Lower 48.

He said locals like Tundra cartoonist Chad Carpenter donated basket sets for the auction

“We’ve got some nice items to bid. It’s just a lot of fun and people have a good time,” Ezelle said.

Ezelle said that he’s expecting about 70 or more people to attend this year.

“It usually pans for us. It helps turn on the lights and puts gas in the tank,” Ezelle said.

2020 has been a generous year so far, according to Ezelle. He said they’ve received a ton of generous donations from the community. He said the community’s generosity fuels their efforts to serve over 3,000 people a month.

“It’s going well,” Ezelle said.

The Mat-Su Food Bank collected about $5,000 during the annual Cash for Cans fundraiser from their partners Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union and Alaska USA Federal Credit Union.

The next big project in the Mat-Su Food Bank’s future is their annual Food 4 Kids summer meal program, serving free meals to local children across the community.

Hearts 4 Hunger runs from 5 to 9 p.m. this Saturday. Tickets are available at the food bank, online and can be purchased at the door.

VFW Post 9365 is located at 301 East Lake View Avenue, Wasilla.

For more information, visit matsufoodbank.org.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com