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Food, Beverages And Fun Served At EEF Fundraiser
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Tables featuring foods and beverages of all kinds were set up around the Escalon Community Center on Saturday, Nov. 16 for the Edible Expo to benefit the Escalon Educational Foundation. Here, Tim Fitzgerald dishes up some more samples for the crowd. Marg Jackson/The Times

A large crowd made its way to the Escalon Community Center on Saturday evening, Nov. 16 to enjoy trying some tasty foods, bidding on silent auction items, sipping some beverages … all to raise money for the Escalon Educational Foundation.

The EEF, as it is known, hosted the Edible Expo at the Community Center and brought together a wide variety of vendors with specialty foods, beverages and more.

From D’Boni’s and Mountain Mike’s to McManis Family Vineyard and Stagno Meats, there were plenty of items to satisfy any taste.

Nothing Bundt Cakes had bite sized sweet treats set out, there were items from L&M Blodgett Catering, the Stuyt Cheese group was on hand with samples, while Big Dipper served up some cool ice cream treats and Wing Stop was in attendance with different samples of their signature chicken wings.

There was also a live auction offered during the evening with such item as ‘Hef’s Famous Cookies’ – a platter of home baked cookies supplied by Escalon High School teacher and coach Rick Heflin; a taco party for 20 catered by Tacos de Nieve, a roaster with proceeds going to benefit Collegeville Elementary School and a ‘Panther Pride’ package featuring a quarter-steer, custom cut and wrapped by Austin Meats of Ripon. That auction item benefitted El Portal Middle School.

Silent auction items were varied as well, from sports packages to wine baskets, a camp stove to Cougar merchandise.

“This is our first year back,” said EEF member April Adams, with the event taking a break the last couple of years. “We have a good variety here and we hope to grow it even more.”

The goal is to have the Edible Expo serve as the main fundraiser for the Escalon Educational Foundation, with all proceeds going back to support the students within the Escalon Unified School District.

Adams said the organization has been able to provide some scholarships and also made purchases of items for school sites in the past year.

Some grants are made to specific classrooms, others benefit the schools as a whole. This year they are purchasing some 3D printers for the computer labs at EHS and have also provided the CPR mannequins for the EMT class there.

Ideally, said Adams, there is money made available to all school sites within the district to help with special purchases.

“Where we see a need,” she said of looking to make the money do the most good.

As far as the Edible Expo event, she said EEF officials, running it for the first time, were pleased overall. The numbers were good, there was music, the silent and live auctions and plenty of food and beverages for attendees to sample and enjoy.

“Most of the vendors are from around here, some from Riverbank, Ripon, a lot from Escalon,” Adams said. The majority are local, which is great.”

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Representatives of Austin Meat Service out of Ripon were on hand to serve up some tasty samples for the crowd at Saturday evening’s Edible Expo. Marg Jackson/The Times
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Tacos de Nieve was on hand for the Saturday night Edible Expo at the Escalon Community Center, with Matt and Renee Snow offering hot and spicy samples of their fare. Marg Jackson/The Times