If the small film fest put on by Nourish makes you hungry, well, good.
Food is for eating.
For the sixth year, the nonprofit is hosting “Taste For Nourish,” a film festival fundraiser.
Interspersed between short films on food, local families will share video testimonies about their own mealtime struggles feeding kids who won’t — or can’t — eat.
Appetizers and desserts will abound, with local eateries such as Blue Willow and the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort and Spa stepping up to the plate.
Basically, this means you get to eat food and watch movies, all for a good cause.
The fundraiser supports many of the scholarships that Nourish provides throughout the year to families with children with feeding challenges and inadequate insurance to cover costs.
Since 2011, the number of treatment funding requests Nourish has received has jumped from 30 that first year to 230 last year, said Mandy Carlsen, the co-founder and executive director of Nourish.
Money raised at the film fest helps Nourish provide families with feeding therapy, dietitian support and specialized equipment.
Some kids struggle to eat because they were born premature. Others are unable to chew or swallow because of developmental challenges. Others are kids who, once healthy eaters, are now terrified to eat after a choking scare.
“You take it for granted and think, ‘Who doesn’t want to eat?’” Carlsen said. “These kids just can’t eat and don’t see food as food, or food is just not safe or eating is not safe for them.”
The film fest is meant to fundraise, educate and make food fun.
“The need is out there, and unless you have a child struggling with this every day ... you just don’t realize it,” Carlsen said.
