Hot Chocolate Fest launches month-long drive for charity
Posted Jan 28, 2017 1:50 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Calgarians can pick up lavender mocha, bourban bananas and other specialty spins on the classic hot chocolate during February.
Meals on Wheels is hoping the sixth annual YYC Hot Chocolate Fest will top even last year’s haul which raised a record $15,000 for the organization that provides nutritious food to Calgarians in need.
Seventy-seven businesses have already signed up to create a new menu item for the event, which includes 50 “normal” hot chocolates, and 30 in the spirited category. A portion of every sale, either $1 or $2, goes towards the Meals on Wheels home meal delivery program.
“On that program we serve 700 Calgarians every day. We are the only service like this in Calgary where the fees are subsidized, we have special dietary options and we bring it right to your house prepared. So that helps people that have very specific barriers, like transportation [and] financial barriers. It helps them get the nutrition they need,” event organizer Richelle Kenn said.
The kick-off event was held at the Calgary Famers Market on Saturday, and had to be changed slightly from 2016. The event started a few hours earlier and was more spread out through the marketplace, as thousands turned up last year and caused a bit of a bottleneck for staff.
Kenn said it’s no surprise about the turn out, as it’s certainly an event for the whole family.
“Oh yeah, families, kids, individuals, everybody loves it. Who doesn’t love hot chocolate? Especially when you have a spirited category for the adults,” she said.
Winners of the big award, Calgary’s best hot chocolate, will be announced March 3.
