Local trivia night helps Redwood Empire Food Bank fight hunger during the holidays

About 75 people put their trivia knowledge to the test Dec. 14 at Barrel Brothers Brewing Kitchen & Cocktails in Windsor during the Tap Out Hunger Trivia Night hosted by Redwood Empire Food Bank.

The event, led by the food bank’s grant writer and all-around trivia guru Trey Hart, raised about $1,500 for the food bank through tickets sales, raffle and donations, all of which will go directly to feeding community members facing hunger this season.

For Hart, who moved to Sonoma County from his home state of Michigan three years ago to work for Redwood Empire Food Bank, it was a welcomed return to hosting trivia, a pastime of his that he had not done since the beginning of the COVID pandemic in 2020.

“It was a busy night,” Hart said. “Everyone was super enthusiastic and had a great time.”

Hart led two games of general knowledge trivia for the 20 teams of up to six people each, and included trivia questions related to the food bank’s work, such as: What percentage of Sonoma County’s population the food bank serves?

The answer: 1 in 6.

Raffle items included Redwood Empire Food Bank merchandise and Barrel Brothers gift certificates. Barrel Brothers also donated 15% of food and beverage sales to the food bank. Raffle tickets cost $5 each or 5 tickets for $20. Tickets for the trivia games were $10.

Hart said the trivia night may become a regular fundraising event as Redwood Empire Food Bank faces rising need.

“It’s a crucial time to support the food security of our community,” Hart said. “We’re serving more people than we ever have.”

For more information on how to donate to or volunteer for Redwood Empire Food Bank, go to refb.org.