20,000 lbs of food donated by IBIE exhibitors in 2010

March 16, 2011, Washington, D.C. – Exhibitors at the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE), which took place in Las Vegas Sept. 26 through 29, 2010, donated more than 20,000 pounds of leftover samples and demonstration items, pre-packaged goods and ingredients to support Las Vegas’ Le Cordon Bleu School’s annual “Cookies for the Troops” program, Homeless Helpers, Las Vegas Mission and the Boys and Girls Club.

The IBIE Committee encouraged exhibitor participation in an effort to keep leftovers from going to waste. Each night after the close of the show, IBIE staff and exhibitors packed up the day’s leftovers and handed them off to Homeless Helpers and Las Vegas Mission. The donations enabled the charities to feed an average of 1,500 people daily.

At the end of the show, the Boys and Girls Club was given 8,000 pounds of pre-packaged goods.

Last but certainly not least, Le Cordon Bleu School received unused ingredients, which they used to bake and decorate more than 5,000 holiday cookies for U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“I almost fainted when I saw the size of the delivery truck that came to Le Cordon Bleu,” said Heinz Lauer, executive chef and culinary department chair at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Las Vegas. “From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank IBIE and its exhibitors for their generosity, and for their support of our heroes overseas."

IBIE has made sustainability and philanthropy top priorities. Last year, it introduced the B.E.S.T in Baking designation to acknowledge companies who have made a commitment to sustainability through innovative products, services, technologies and programs.

“Donating leftover goods just seemed like a logical next step,” said Rich Hoskins, IBIE chairman. “And this is just the beginning. Each year we’ll build on our efforts to make a positive transformation within our industry and the community.”