Chef John Howie has been a generous partner in the fight against hunger in our community for more than a decade. Each year, the John Howie Restaurant Group — which includes Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar, John Howie Steak, SPORT Restaurant & Bar and Beardslee Public House — partners with the Seattle Seahawks through the Taste of the NFL event and the Kick Hunger Challenge, a friendly fundraising competition among NFL teams. These efforts have raised a total of $525,000 for Food Lifeline since 2004.
In June, Chef Howie gathered local media personalities, current and former Seahawks players and other celebrities for the Kick Hunger Challenge Celebrity Poker Tournament at our new Hunger Solution Center.
“Every year we try to raise more money for Food Lifeline, so this year we decided to up our game and start early in a very fun way,” he says of the tournament.
Players engaged in Texas Hold ‘Em poker for the chance to win various prizes and enjoyed dinner and cocktails provided by John Howie Restaurant Group, with a portion of proceeds going to fight hunger through Food Lifeline.
Chef Howie donated a dollar from each Kick Hunger Challenge cocktail, served from November to January at all his restaurants, to Food Lifeline. He also hosted the fourth annual Kick Hunger Challenge auction and dinner in January at SPORT Restaurant & Bar, which raised $60,000 in just one night!
During this year’s Kick Hunger Challenge, Chef Howie and former Seahawk Craig Terrill’s teamwork raised $88,693 for Food Lifeline. Their efforts earned a second place finish in Kick Hunger, which generated another $5,000 prize from Taste of the NFL to increase the total Food Lifeline donation to $100,693 — the equivalent of 468,465 meals!
“We are proud to partner with the Seattle Seahawks to provide for those in need in our community,” Chef Howie says. “If we work together, hunger doesn’t have to happen!”
We couldn’t agree more. Thank you to Chef Howie, Craig Terill, the Seattle Seahawks and everyone who joined in the fight against hunger during the Kick Hunger Challenge! Food Lifeline couldn’t solve hunger without the support of friends like you.
