Inspired by and modeled after Taste of the NFL, the Super Bowl’s largest philanthropic event most recently held at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Taste of the Draft was hosted by renowned chefs Andrew Zimmern, Carla Hall, Mark Bucher, and Paul Bartolotta; and featured 20 beloved Wisconsin supper clubs serving up signature dishes including relish trays, popovers, America’s Dairyland delights, meat and seafood specialties, and Fork Farms salad bar favorites. Taste of the Draft also featured a delicious display of local cheeses and other dairy favorites, as well as curated spirits and after-dinner dairy-delicious ice cream drinks including Grasshoppers and Pink Squirrels. In addition, guests had the opportunity to mix and mingle with Green Bay Packers greats including LeRoy Butler, Jerry Kramer, James Lofton, Dave Robinson, and Ahman Green.

Taste of the Draft will raise critical funds for GENYOUth’s commitment to tackling student food insecurity in Wisconsin. Nutrition grants will be awarded to 90 schools, in celebration of the 90th NFL Draft, providing Grab and Go school meal carts, milk coolers, and smoothie kits to increase access to and participation in healthy school meals, including dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese. Taste of the Draft is building upon GENYOUth’s legacy of giving back to the Wisconsin community – to date, GENYOUth, in collaboration with the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, has awarded school nutrition grants to more than 500 schools in Wisconsin with a combined enrollment of 250,000 students, providing students with increased access to 35 million meals each year. Physical activity grants have also been awarded to over 650 Wisconsin schools. 

With 1 in 6 Wisconsin children living in food insecurity and nearly half of the state’s students qualifying for free and reduced-price school meals based on household income, GENYOUth’s mission to help all kids thrive is more urgent than ever. For children living in food insecurity, schools are a lifeline in providing healthy meals including milk, fruit, vegetables, whole grain, and lean protein, and they need help. With the support of purpose-driven partners including Schreiber Foods and American Family Insurance, as well as the support of the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and GENYOUth’s founding partners America’s Dairy Farmers and the NFL, GENYOUth is building a future in which all children can thrive and be their best selves.