Get in on the Mardi Gras fun and help alleviate hunger in our community this Saturday, February 22 in Downtown Texarkana.
Mardi Gras Texarkana, sponsored by Precision Roll Grinders, HealthCARE Express and Texarkana Radio, will offer fun for the whole family with a 5k run, children’s parade and activities, local food and merchants, health fair, live entertainment and Roaring 20s-themed Mardi Gras parade.
Event hosts have selected Harvest Regional Food Bank to receive proceeds from the day’s festivities, with vendor registrations and some friendly foodie competition helping to raise funds and awareness for the organization.
Emily Graham, owner of Graham Slam Bakery, says one of her customers pitched the idea of a cookie-eating competition, and they chose to donate proceeds to Harvest and to put it on during Mardi Gras to attract more people to the contest. “We feel like Harvest is one of the best nonprofits in the community,” says Graham. “It helps to feed so many local families.”
“We are grateful to be a part of such a supportive community,” says Camille Coker Wrinkle, Harvest Regional Food Bank’s CEO & Executive Director. “Every dollar we receive from this weekend’s festivities will go directly toward helping us feed thousands of hungry kids and families.”
Vendor registration is closed, but there is still time to register to compete for the “Graham Slam Champion” cookie-eating title. For more information or to register, call 870-330-9132. There are a limited number of spots available, so register now to reserve your place in the cookie contest.
Last year, Harvest distributed 3.2M meals and served over 60,000 individuals in Southwest Arkansas and Northeast Texas. Both states consistently rank in the top 10 for the highest incidents of hunger. Nearly 20% of our local residents miss meals due to food insecurity, including 1 in 4 children.
