Located on the Fillmore block of the Western Addition neighborhood in San Francisco is Yoshi's Jazz Club and Japanese Restaurant. A large open space, with plenty of tables, tobiko, and teriyaki, the restaurant is an ideal place to host an event. Upstairs is a cozy room with a florescent blue bar and couches--perfect for a fundraiser.

A volunteer from SF Food Bank had the same idea when she and her husband decided to host sake tasting at Yoshi's on Wednesday March 25. James Tucker, owner and event organizer of Sakeclub.org, decided to host his monthly tasting at Yoshi's and called it Sake4Food. His wife, Kelly Tucker, volunteers at a San Francisco food bank every Thursday afternoon in South San Francisco. Kelly and James decided to donate all of the proceeds from the event to the SF Food Bank.

Sake4Food hosted a quaint group of eighty people at Yoshi's. Tables were set up with an array of San Francisco sake vendors, allowing guests to sample. From two-week-old sake to organic sake, the tasting was nothing but fun and fabulous. Guests enjoyed the variety of beverages and colorful plates of raw fish, rice, and seaweed.

Izumi Motai is a vendor from Takara Sake. He pours a sake that is locally brewed. "James hired us for this event. I love working at fundraisers like this because it's helping a great cause," he gushed. "People get to socialize and drink, it's fun," he said. "I love pouring my sake because we do not sell this product at restaurants. It is a very special beverage and I love teaching people about sake."

Kelly Fletcher, SF Food Bank volunteer and host of Sake4Food, was pleased with the outcome of the event. "I'm a school teacher with kids; it's hard to get out during the week. I'm so happy that people came tonight; everyone looks like they're having a great time and all of the money is going to people who need food," she says. "There are over 150,000 people a year who go hungry in this city. That is a lot of people; it's nice to take time out of my busy schedule to help people in need," she says with a grin.

The San Francisco Food Bank feeds over 132,000 people locally each year. According to the SF Food Bank website, tons of food is collected from growers, packers, distributors, etc. The food is then brought to a San Francisco warehouse. The website also claims that it can have around two million pounds of food in it at one time. Hungry visitors who take the produce back home to cook their meals select the food. The SF Food Bank also packs bag lunches for young students and summer programs.

As the event partied on, the small space upstairs got more crowded. Guests were happier and their smiles a little brighter as they swayed around the dimly lit room, sake glasses in hand.

Tara Einis, a bubbly auburn-haired young woman, greeted people upstairs. She helped the Tuckers organize the night. "As P.R. and marketing director of Sakeclub.org, it's my job to make sure people have a great time tonight and learn a little about an amazing type of alcohol," she said.

"This drink is incredible as a substitute for vodka," she says. "College kids should be in love with the stuff...it's pure, gives you a great buzz, and you don't wake up with a hangover, no matter how much of it you drink...plus it's kosher!"