Shrimp cocktails, jerk chicken on the menu to raise money for Middle Georgia food bank

You don’t expect to see elegantly presented dishes of delicious food being served inside a massive warehouse.

That’s exactly what those attending Thursday night’s Chef Extravaganza & Spirits found at the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank warehouse in Macon.

Local chefs, cooks and catering companies served canapes with creme fraiche, shrimp cocktails, spicy jerk chicken, bourbon marinated brussel sprouts and more.

Food normally served at local restaurants — casual to fine dining — filled tables lining the aisles between warehouse shelves stacked with items to be given to hungry families.

The event was to raise money for the nonprofit group and to increase awareness about what the food bank does to fight hunger in 24 Middle Georgia counties.

Consider these 2017 food facts from the food bank’s website:

• 132,080 people in Middle Georgia were unable to consistently access nutritious food.
• The food bank distributed more than 6,690,000 pounds of food.
• About 3,400 children were served weekly backpack meals.
• More than 190 partner agencies or food pantries help provide food.

The Middle Georgia Community Food Bank accepts donations and also uses volunteers year round so even if you missed this week’s dinner you can still help.

Visit their website, www.mgcfb.org, for more information about how to help.