$300 Per Ticket: Sacramento Health Center Brings Back First Foods Dinner to Fund Mission
SNAHC hosts James Beard finalist for fundraising event at Mack Powell Event Center.
Sacramento politics often revolves around cash flow. The Sacramento Native American Health Center knows this well. They are holding a second annual fundraiser that is anything but cheap. The First Foods Dinner costs $300 per ticket. The event aims to raise money for the center while celebrating Indigenous traditions. It takes place at the Mack Powell Event Center in Arden Arcade.
You are paying for more than just a meal. The menu is designed by Crystal Wahpepah. She is a James Beard Award finalist and runs Wahpepah's Kitchen in Oakland. She is also the first Indigenous contestant on the show Chopped. The menu features ingredients from Northern California and the Southwest. It even includes items sourced from surrounding states. The event runs from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, October 3.
What exactly will you eat for that $300? Guests can choose agave-glazed turkey breast or a wild native pumpkin seed mole for the entrée. Dessert is a unique chocolate purple potato cake. The side dishes are just as detailed. You will find coastal autumn greens and mixed California greens with elderberry vinaigrette. Other options include persimmons and hazelnuts. The spread also features sage bison meatballs and homemade seed crackers. The meal ends with family-style blue cornbread with maple and maple cream.
The organizers call this "food as preventive medicine." Maureen Wimsatt, the chief program and development officer for SNAHC, told reporters that the dinner uses locally harvested blue corn. She argues that bringing traditional foodways back into family diets leads to better health outcomes. Sage LaPeña, the center's traditional health practitioner, is expected to discuss where ingredients were harvested. He will explain the health benefits of the meal. This connects directly to the center's mission of care.
The center has a deep institutional history. It started as the separate Sacramento Urban Indian Health Project Inc. They established this group on December 1, 1974. The original clinic closed on October 19, 2004. The current SNAHC facility opened in 2005. It operates on an open-door policy for medical and behavioral health care. Today, the main Midtown facility sits at 2020 J Street.
The stats on staff are interesting. Native Americans make up approximately 26% of the staff at SNAHC. This is not just a local clinic. It is part of a national network. In 2016, the Indian Health Service described the center as one of 42 nonprofit programs in its Urban Indian Health Programs family. The center serves vulnerable and low-income Sacramento County residents.
The dinner is sponsored. Proceeds go to the SNAHC mission. It is a mix of high-priced dining and community service. The dress code is casual elegant. If you want to support the center, you pay $300.
First reported by Hoodline.
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