Dozens of people bonded over beer and chili this week, all for a good cause.
On Thursday night, the Lee Carlson Center for Mental Health and Well-Being held its third annual Chili Cook-Off and Beer Tasting event at the Springbrook Nature Center. More than a dozen teams dished up their best chili recipes and 11 local micro-breweries sampled their beers.
The event raises money for Bridgeview's "Meals for Members" program.
"We have a growing number of people who come everyday to Bridgeview and people are finding out about access to programs and services," says Rob Edwards, Executive Director of the Lee Carlson Center for Mental Health and Well-Being. "The food program, we don't charge anything for that, this is a service to the community, to individuals who may not have a healthy meal during the day, may not have enough meals during the day, they can get that at Bridgeview."
Last year, the program served 580 people which, in addition to this event, relies on grants and outside donations.
As for the chili cook-off, the team from Rise Inc. took home the prized golden chili pot. The event also included live music and a raffle.
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