Bengals team up with Freestore Foodbank to put an end to hunger in Cincinnati

CINCINNATI - Fresh from Organized Team Activities, Bengals players teamed up with the Freestore Foodbank to try to put an end to childhood hunger in Cincinnati.

The Bengals' Annual "Taste of the NFL" event combines food, football and fundraising for fans.

More than 40 area restaurants provided bite-sized portions for patrons to enjoy while they bid on silent auction items or got autographs from Bengals players.

Freestore Foodbank officials say the 10-year partnership with the Bengals has raised more than $900,000.

This year, the Foodbank is focusing on their Power Pack program, which gives poverty level children five meals over the weekend.

"Just in the Hamilton County area alone, there's 48,000 kids that are in the poverty range. Seventy-eight percent of the kids in our community are on free and reduced lunches.  So those are kids that are going home to an empty cupboard over the weekend," said Freestore Foodbank President & CEO Kurt Reiber. "So this is really the only meal they're going to get over the weekend."

If you missed Wednesday's party, interested parties can still sponsor a kid for the Foodbank's Power Pack Program by visiting their website .

A $150 donation will provide weekend meals to one child for a full year.