Halifax Burger Week is back to serve up tasty dishes and help food banks across Nova Scotia.
From Oct. 14 to 23, participating restaurants across the Halifax Regional Municipality serve up specially crafted hamburgers (or variations of hamburgers) to help raise funds for Feed Nova Scotia. Restaurants have a set price of $7 or higher and make a donation to Feed Nova Scotia with each burger they sell. The annual event is hosted by Halifax’s free weekly newspaper, The Coast.
Since its inception in 2013, Halifax Burger Week has raised over $560,000 for Feed Nova Scotia and has become the largest fundraiser for the charitable organization outside of its own initiatives.
“With Burger Week, we have been unbelievably overwhelmed,” says Karen Theriault, director of communications at Feed Nova Scotia. “That an event like this, continued to be able to come to life in our communities both years to support our work throughout this pandemic.”
The COVID-19 pandemic postponed the 2020 Burger Week for six months and delayed a previously planned event scheduled for May 2021. During last year’s event, more than 105,000 burgers were sold and $126,000 was raised for Feed Nova Scotia. This year, there are 146 restaurants participating in Burger Week.
Theriault recognizes the challenges restaurants have faced since the pandemic began in March 2020.
“I think the challenges that they have uniquely faced during the pandemic have been huge,” she says. “So for them to be able to come to the table and still support their neighbours, despite the challenges that they are facing in their own industry, it really means a lot to us.”
Money raised from Burger Week will help the 140 food banks, meal programs and shelters across the province that depend on Feed Nova Scotia and the 40,000 people in this province that use them. Every $2 raised during Burger Week equals three meals for someone in need.
“This Burger Week has been another amazing example of community rallying to support their neighbours,” Theriault adds. “Rallying to keep our local food industry thriving in Nova Scotia by getting out and supporting those restaurants.”
One of those local participating restaurants is Eliot & Vine on Clifton Street in Halifax, which provided Burger Week’s highest donation in 2020. Their $24 burger offering is called The Large MacDonald and features two grilled four-ounce chuck patties, American cheese, minced onion, bread and butter pickles and shredded lettuce with “2000” island dressing. With every Large MacDonald sold at Eliot & Vine, $6 will be donated to Feed Nova Scotia.
Johanna Eliot, owner of Eliot & Vine, says taking part in Burger Week is not only exciting for her staff but also brings in new faces to their business.
“It’s fun for us, we like serving the burgers and there’s a certain energy that comes with it,” she says. “It also brings in a different clientele, as in not the people we normally get, so they try us out for the first time.”
Global News is a proud supporting partner of Halifax Burger Week. For more information, visit burgerweek.co.
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