In the Spirit of Giving

June 18, 2008 | Posted by: Alisa Valudes

Last Thursday evening, I (and about 10 others from Merritt Group!) had the privilege of attending and participating in the much-awaited Grill-Off event at The Decatur House in Washington D.C. hosted by a non-profit called Brainfood . Brainfood is an organization which Merritt Group supports with PR on a pro bono basis. Brainfood's mission is truly unique in that it teaches leadership, life skills and healthy living to inner-city DC high school students through food and cooking. DC high school students participate in the Brainfood programs either twice a week after school or every day for five weeks during the summer. Activities include hands-on cooking classes, lectures, field trips and community service projects. Many of the Brainfood graduates have gone on to do remarkable things - some going to the Culinary Institute of America or to college.

As a "foodie" myself, I personally love this unique organization. Merritt Group assists Brainfood with PR throughout the year, but the bulk of our effort is focused on PR for the organization's largest initiative, the Brainfood Grill-Off. Think Iron-Chef Competition. The concept is that corporate teams of five are each paired with a local DC celebrity chef and a Brainfood graduate to concoct two specialty dishes from a surprise pantry of ingredients in a one-hour time limit. Then a special panel of judges casts their votes. Nine teams competed in this year's competition (including Merritt Group). The Merritt Group team had a strong showing with two savory dishes - scallops and shrimp with a mango corn salsa in addition to duck with a cherry sauce - but unfortunately it wasn't quite enough to convince the judges. And who knew we had so many talented cooks in our midst here at Merritt Group? I know there's already an eye toward next year . . .

Sometimes it's good to take a moment of pause from our busy professional lives and give back to the community. Brainfood has given Merritt Group this opportunity to share in their success. And while we definitely love working for our technology and healthcare clients day-in and day-out, it's a nice change of pace to be able to help a non-profit with an incredible worthy cause!