The 2020 International Greek Food Festival is looking forward to continuing the tradition of serving FOOD, FRIENDS and the COMMUNITY! However, this year will be unique. Due to the pandemic, we will not be able to showcase our exciting entertainment, music and cultural markets. But, the authentic food, fantastic charities and essential, great-hearted sponsors will be front and center...
Over the past 35 years, the Festival has donated nearly $1.5 million to more than 30 outstanding local charities. Scroll down to our Charities section to see the worthy organizations.
Come and join us! OPA!!!
In its 35 years, the festival has donated more than $1.5 million dollars to more than 30 charities that serve children, families, and communities throughout central Arkansas. Proceeds from this year’s festival will benefit the Annunciation Scholarship Foundation and the Annunciation Ministries, as well as these nonprofit organizations:
Community Connections is dedicated to providing quality extracurricular activities for children with special needs as well as support for their families. Programs offered include football, soccer, art, music, theatre, cheerleading, basketball, tennis, volleyball, golf, swim, a teen game group, and martial arts. An Autism Resource Center is also available to offer education and support to individuals with ASD and their families. Programs are offered free of charge and are located in Russellville, Conway and Little Rock.
Easterseals Arkansas is a nonprofit health and human services agency dedicated to helping children and adults with disabilities and special needs achieve greater independence and improved lives. Easterseals provides services across the state to meet the varying needs of people with disabilities and their families. These comprehensive services provide a continuum of care from birth to aging adults and focus on the family as a whole.
Centers for Youth and Families ("The Centers") began in 1884 and, today, continues its dedication to changing lives of those most vulnerable in our community – children in foster care, teenagers with no safe place to live, parents in need of answers to be the best parents they can be, students who need specialized academic instruction, and people of all ages struggling with mental and behavioral health diagnoses or substance abuse. Every year, The Centers' 300 employees strive to serve nearly 4,500 individuals from across Arkansas and create pathways to hope and healing.
Since 1981 the Ronald McDonald House has provided a "home-away-from-home" for over 39,000 families whose child has been sent to Little Rock for life-saving medical care. Here they have a private suite, meals and much more just steps from the hospital. The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, a 40-foot mobile dental office provides free dental care to low-income children; the Ronald McDonald Family Room at UAMS, on the hospital's NICU floor, is a place of respite for parents, just down the hall, where they can shower, do laundry, grab a snack, and find a quiet place to regroup.
The Wolfe Street Foundation is Arkansas' largest nonprofit resource dedicated to recovery from alcoholism and addiction. Since 1982, it has provided facilities for groups faithful to the original 12 Steps. The foundation also develops and implements a variety of programs aimed toward education and prevention for youth, families and individuals trying to recover from alcoholism and addiction. The doors to its center in downtown Little Rock are open 365 days a year, 16 hours a day.
Youth Home is one of the largest and most experienced nonprofit mental health providers in Arkansas. Its mission is to equip and empower youth, adults and families to become healthier contributing members of the community by providing compassionate emotional and behavioral health care. Mental illness is illness like diabetes or cancer, and Youth Home is committed to ending the stigma that keeps people from seeking help when they need it.
Arkansas Foodbank, the largest food bank in Arkansas, is a member of Feeding America and the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. It strives to connect people, resources, and food through new and innovative programming focused on serving hungry Arkansans. Programs like Food For Kids, Food For Families, and Food For Seniors provide healthy and nutritious food and other resources for more than 420 food pantries, soup kitchens, schools, colleges, shelters, senior centers, and other agencies that provide aid directly to hungry Arkansans.
The HSPC is central Arkansas' largest and oldest no-kill shelter in Pulaski County, Arkansas. The mission of HSPC is to rescue, rehabilitate, provide veterinary care, spay/neuter, and find loving homes for Central Arkansas dogs and cats in need.