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Leadership Cayuga Project Team Serves as an Important Resource for TomatoFest
Since its inception in 1986, Auburn’s TomatoFest has raised over $250,000 and collected thousands of canned goods to aid in feeding the hungry through donations to several food related agencies. With the number of hungry individuals constantly growing, this event provides an invaluable service to local food pantries.
The first festival, only a few hours long and held on a Sunday afternoon, was created with the theme, “family, community and food.” The goal was to bring the community together and provide a public venue for not-for-profit organizations. A few hundred people attended, and a small profit was realized. Since then, the festival grew to a two-day event, with over 13,000 in attendance over the weekend. People from all over central NY come to enjoy the great food, music, crafts and entertainment for the whole family.
The name TomatoFest was selected because the festival is held at the end of tomato season, and the thought of canning or “putting up” the harvest reflected the support of local food agencies.
New events for 2008 include a Friday night dance kick-off featuring Joe Whiting, a cooking contest with great prizes and a “Top Tomato” entertainment talent contest. The 23rd annual TomatoFest is scheduled for September 6 – 7 at Emerson Park.
However, times have changed. Last year’s festival was nearly cancelled due to rising costs and a relative shortfall in donations and sponsorship. Fortunately, it was saved in the 11th hour by the generous response from the community to a public appeal.
This event is clearly at a crossroads, and the volunteer Board of Directors has invited our project team to help them move forward by conducting research on the options available to them. In the meantime, the Board of Directors has begun a strategic planning process to analyze the present situation and determine the best path for future stability and sustainability. Our Leadership Cayuga project team has had the opportunity to partake in this challenge, offering additional resources, as well as a potentially new and different perspective.
Our objective for this report is twofold. First and foremost we are offering our collective recommendations for the future growth and sustainability of the festival, as this was our charge. Secondly, we saw an additional benefit to documenting the structure and the content of the process that the Board is undertaking to analyze the situation, identify and evaluate their options, and implement a strategic plan.
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