Annual Cleveland fundraising event showcases vital regional partnerships
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Supporters of Children’s Hunger Alliance (CHA) showed up strong for an evening of food, drink, and fun in the Flats at Side by Side 2025 on May 15. In doing so, they became part of the solution to childhood hunger, which affects 1 in 5 children in Ohio. CHA’s annual Cleveland fundraiser at Music Box Supper Club raised $35,000 to help fight childhood food insecurity in Northeast Ohio and throughout the state.
The event showcased how vital partnerships are to ensuring kids in Cleveland get the food they need to thrive. During the formal program, CHA President and CEO Michelle M. Brown highlighted the record impact CHA had in 2024, which saw the organization serve nearly 11 million meals to over 161,000 children across Ohio, providing them with nutritious food wherever they are, every day of the year.
Brown was later joined onstage by Kristin Warzocha, President and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank (GCFB). The two leaders discussed the expanded partnership between the two nonprofits and how collaboration is critical in Cuyahoga County, which is one of three Ohio counties with a childhood food insecurity rate above 26%. Nearly 180,000 children in Northeast Ohio — and over half a million across the state — live with food insecurity, meaning they’re unsure where their next meal will be.
Throughout the evening, Side by Side guests were treated to delicious food and drink pairings and tried their luck in a silent auction, raffle, bourbon pull, and CHA bingo game, all to benefit hungry children in Ohio. Lindsay Buckingham, Special Projects Reporter for WKYC, emceed the fundraiser, which also featured live music courtesy of a jazz trio from Baldwin Wallace University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts.
Side by Side 2025’s major sponsors included Giant Eagle, Classic Auto Group, The Middlefield Banking Company, RPM International Inc., and Vorys.
About Children’s Hunger Alliance
Since 1970, CHA has been leading the charge to break the cycle of childhood hunger in Ohio, providing healthy food and nutrition education to children wherever they are. CHA is the largest comprehensive statewide organization focused solely on children’s food security and nutrition education. In 2024 alone, CHA provided nearly 11 million meals to over 161,000 children while partnering with over 1,800 sites across 76 counties.
For more information, please visit www.childrenshungeralliance.org.
Connect with us on LinkedIn – @CHAohio, Instagram – @childrenshungeralliance, and Facebook – @CHAohio.
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