News  //  Gilroy Garlic Festival

184 Non-Profits Earn $290,000 in 2011
Gilroy Garlic Festival Exceeds $9 Million In Charity Distribution

GILROY, California – With the distribution of $290,000 to participating non-profit organizations in July’s 33rd annual spectacular, the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association has surpassed $9 million in revenue donated to local charity since its inception, 2011 Festival Association President Kurt Svardal announced today.

Operated by over 4,000 volunteers and chronicled internationally, the three-day Festival, presented by Raley’s, Bel Air and Nob Hill Foods, entertained and fed 109,067 visitors from Australia to Zion, IL during the last weekend of July.

At the 1979 inception Festival founders created the Volunteer Equity Program, whereby profits are allocated to non-profit organizations designated by its work force; included in this funding are over $2 million in Gilroy capital improvements. In 2011 the Festival joined with Festival co-founder Don Christopher and Christopher Ranch to renovate the Christmas Hill Park Amphitheater, a year round venue for community activity. The gross distribution of Festival revenue after 33 years has reached $ 9,345,322.

"The dedication of our volunteers is unmatched," said Svardal. "And reaching the $ 9 million level stands as a testament to their predecessors who kept the torch moving for three decades. But this number reflects only a portion of the impact the Festival has had on our community. Beyond the annual awards generated by the Volunteer Equity Program this event has significantly impacted all aspects of our community, from the lodging industry to area merchants to the positive light cast upon us each year from the global media attention Gilroy receives."

The Top Five beneficiaries in 2011 are Gilroy / Christopher High School Alliance Choir with $ 13,575.36; South Valley Community Church Youth Group with $11,509.29; the Live Oak Emerald Regime with $9,675.63; the Orchard Valley Soccer Pumas with $ 8,040.02 and the Gilroy Gators Swim Team with $ 8,027.95. A complete list of revenue distribution is available on the Festival website at gilroygarlicfestival.com.

The Festival hosted three days of cooking competitions, an appearance by Bravo TV’s Top Chef favorite Angelo Sosa and an entertainment lineup which featured rising young country singer Kip Moore. An added benefit for visitors was the debut of Procter and Gamble’s new Scope Dual-Blast Mouthwash. Scope sponsored the venerable Great Garlic Cook-Off and provided Festival visitors free sample bottles of Dual-Blast, eliciting a lighthearted 2011 summation from President Svardal: "Feeding your guests an acclaimed garlic cuisine: $290,000; sending them home with fresh breath: priceless."

The Gilroy Garlic Festival returns July 27-29, 2012.