Five local chefs and wineries came together on Oct. 13 to raise money for South Whidbey’s only food bank, Good Cheer, through the “A Celebration of Bounty” dinner gala.

The event was held at The Orchard Kitchen in Langley and raised nearly $16,000 in proceeds and donations to Good Cheer.

Vincent Nattress, chef and owner of The Orchard Kitchen in Langley and a member of the Good Cheer Board of Directors, coordinated and hosted the event. He also received help from friends and local businesses.

The five-course menu featured fresh, local and sustainbly-sourced ingredients prepared by Chefs Gordon Stewart of Gordon’s Blueberry Hill, Sieb Jurriaans of Prima Bistro, Jess and Jon-Paul Dowdell of Roaming Radish, Vincent and Tyla Nattress of The Orchard Kitchen and Emily Bell of The Inn at Langley.

Each course was prepared with locally-crafted wines donated by Bloom’s Winery, Holmes Harbor Winery, Ott &Murphy Winery, Spoiled Dog Winery and Whidbey Island Winery.

“This was the first event of its kind that we were part of and we are so grateful for this special collaboration and to those who donated to continue the work of creating a hunger-free community,” said Kathy McCabe, executive director of Good Cheer, in a press release.

Each month, Good Cheer serves over 800 families and gives away more than 55,000 pounds of food. Among the food bank’s clients are single-parent households, families where both parents are employed, people who have lost their jobs, seniors and disabled individuals managing fixed incomes, homeless, and working poor.