Business & Tech

'Cooking for a Cause' Brings Needed Aid to Brandon Outreach Clinic

The kickoff lunch for "Cooking for a Cause III" drew heartfelt eaters to the Copper Bell Cafe on June 11, where State Rep. Rachel Burgin donated her time as celebrity chef to aid the mission of the Brandon Outreach Clinic.

 

Deborah Meegan, executive director of the Brandon Outreach Clinic, had a lunch worth remembering June 11 at the in Brandon, where State Rep. Rachel Burgin was "cooking for a cause."

Burgin's charity of choice as celebrity chef for the day was the Brandon Outreach Clinic, where Meegan works to carry out the mission of providing primary and diagnostic health care to those who are unable to afford it.

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"It's a neighbor-helping-neighbor event and I get to eat lunch and tell people about the clinic," Meegan said of the celebrity chef event. "It's a win-win."

Resources are scarce, she added, noting that "if we had more resources we could reach more people." As for Darren Dennington, the restaurant's proprietor, Meegan added: "He has a heart for the community at all levels."

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Burgin led the way for celebrity chefs to follow: MaryEllen Elia, Jen Holloway and Tammy Bracewell (see their affiliations and chosen charities below). A complementary round of "Cooking for a Cause" will follow at the Copper Bell Cafe in Riverview, with celebrity chef Guy Boucher, head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning, set to kick off that event.

Dennington said of the effort, now in its third year, that he is proud to have donated back to the community some $26,000 as a result of the first two years of Cooking for a Cause.

"It's a nice way for people to do unto others," Meegan said. "Maybe they can't write a check, or buy a ticket to a [charity] event but they can buy lunch. And it's so hard for somebody like myself to take time away from the job to do fundraising. What we need is for people to step up and say, 'Here, I'm going to do this for you.' "

As for the June 11 kickoff, Dennington said, "It ws a great start, it really was, we had a a ton of deliveries and take-out orders to start and as soon as those slowed down we were busy and full in the restaurant."

The aim is for each celebrity chef to draw to the Copper Bell Cafe on their designated day a large — and hungry — crowd. The event is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Also, orders can be phoned in, with free delivery donated by Erik Butler of TakeOutButler.com.

The premise is simple: Dennington invites community local community leaders to serve as celebrity chefs on their designated day for the fundraiser. Dennington and his staff, sometimes with the aid of the celebrity chef, prepare the ingredients for the meals the night before.

All proceeds and gratuities from the day are donated to the charity designated by the celebrity chef.

"It's a great example of how small businesses can help give back to the charities in our community," said Burgin, who is running for the state Senate seat being vacated by Ronda Storms, who in turn is running for the office of Hillsborough County Property Appraiser.

The "Cooking for a Cause" event, Burgin added, "really rallies folks in the community, friends of friends, to help in a tangible way."

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The Cooking for a Cause III Lineup For Brandon:

  • June 25 — Jen Holloway, marketing director for Bright House Networks, the sponsor for this year's event. Her chosen charity: HARC, "one of the oldest and most-respected agencies serving people with disabilities in the Tampa Bay region."

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The Cooking for a Cause III Lineup for Riverview:

  • August 25 — Guy Boucher, head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning. His chosen charity: Susan G. Komen 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk.
  • To be announced, three additional celebrity chefs for the Riverview location of the Copper Bell Cafe.

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