The funds will support VFF’s programs in rural India.
Vicente Ferrer Foundation USA’s third annual “Recipe for Empowerment” gala in Washington, DC, raised $250,000 to support its philanthropic programs in rural India.
The organization will use the funds to train 500 women artisans with disabilities, construct 34 homes for vulnerable families, buy computers for schools, and provide scholarships for rural students to attend universities.
“It is so inspiring to see our supporters stand with rural communities,” said Angelina Klouthis, VFF Executive Director. “I am honored to lead an organization developing partnerships that move beyond spare change to real change.”
RELATED: VFF USA raises more than $150,000 during its second annual ‘Recipe for Empowerment’ gala (October 11, 2017)
The event Indian, held at Capital Hilton on October 20, featured several Indian, Spanish and American dishes. Among the several renowned Washington-area chefs and restaurateurs who cooked for the gala attendees were Indian Americans Vikram Sunderam of Rasika, Nilesh Singhvi of Bombay Club, KN Vinod of Indique, Daljeet Singh of Aroma, Rani Varma of Bombay Tandoor, Ajay Kumar of Karma, and Rahul Vinod and Sahil Rahman of RASA.
The keynote speaker was popular chef and restaurateur Jamie Leeds, who spoke about her experiences as woman entrepreneur in the D.C restaurant industry.
One of the highlights of the evening was a live auction that included two chef dinners with Danny Lledo and Logan McGear, and an autographed Lord Ganesha Sculpture by Lladró.
The main sponsor of the event was the Spanish handmade porcelain company Lladró.
A number of prominent Indian Americans from the Washington area attended the event, including tech entrepreneur Sharad Tak and his wife, Mahinder Tak, a prominent political donor and philanthropist; Ashley Tellis, the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; US-India Business Council President Nisha Biswal; Ashok Bajaj, founder of Knightsbridge Restaurant Group, which owns DC’s Rasika and Bombay Club restaurants; and Satish Vemana, President of the Telugu Association of North America.
According to the organization, VFF programs benefit 3.6 million Indians in more than 3,600 villages.