Fall Food + Wine Festival

Fall Food + Wine Festival A new twist on an old favorite.

Each October, Fall Food + Wine Festival guests gather on the grounds between the Parkway Grill and Arroyo Chop House for the party of the season. They come to eat, drink, dance — and save lives: Their participation raises funds for Huntington Hospital Trauma Center, the largest trauma center in our region.

Of course, 2020 was different. Due to the danger of COVID-19 transmission, we were not able to meet in person. However, support for trauma care remains urgent. Trauma patients rely on us for lifesaving care around the clock and throughout the year, including during the pandemic — and, traditionally, our festival plays a critical role in making that care possible.

Without the event, we would face a shortfall in funding, further stretching our financial resources at this very challenging time. Thankfully, the spirit of the festival remained unbroken, despite the cancellation of the physical event. With creative input from the event committee, the 2020 festival was reimagined as a special fundraising campaign, dubbed the Fall Food + Wine Restival.

Generous community donors provided gifts totaling more than $240,000 in urgently needed support through this campaign, which will bring essential care to patients with life-threatening injuries. Specifically, funds are helping us invest in state-of-the-art equipment (Belmont® Rapid Infuser RI-2s) to treat patients who have suffered massive blood loss.

A portion of funds also supports Stop the Bleed, an important program through which we teach community members to stop potentially fatal bleeding, preserving life until emergency responders can arrive. In addition, Restival contributions are helping to cover the cost of ongoing, advanced education for nurses and medical residents who care for patients in the trauma center.

The center remains an essential and unduplicated component of our region’s medical system. While we were unable to gather and thank our Fall Food + Wine Restival donors in person, we are immensely grateful for their generous support.

2020 Fall Food + Wine Restival Committee

Fall Food + Wine Restival Committee members stepped up to the challenge of transforming the 2020 event to conform to these unique times. We are grateful to the following dedicated community members for their involvement:

Janet Mayeda, Co-chair Nick Salata, Co-chair Linda Barker Rachel Barker Garrett Bell Karen Billman Brian Birnie Ave and Will Bortz Jamie Brady-Smith Chad Brunochelli Carter Donaldson Pinky Lark Farnum Kristine Giordano John Haglund Anne Irvine Bailey and Brett Larson Lauren Leahy Bob Michero Lia Peterson Miller Mackenzie Mize Blake Mount Cathy Simms Rob Terrazas Michele and Greg Thompson

We’re grateful to our volunteer groups.

Members of the Altadena Guild, Flintridge La Cañada Guild, and Huntington Charity League have generated much-needed support for Huntington Hospital over many years. We truly appreciate their ongoing devoted involvement. Funds raised by these generous volunteer groups have helped keep the hospital strong. This strength has allowed us to meet critical challenges — including the COVID-19 pandemic — head on. From all of us at Huntington Hospital, thank you.