YOUNGSTOWN

The 21st annual Taste of the Valley to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave.

Twenty-five Valley dining establishments will donate their time and talent to provide an array of appetizers, entr es, desserts and beverages to more than 500 guests.

The evening also will include a silent auction, chance auction and music by Stan Miller.

Through June, there has been an 18 percent increase in the number of people seeking emergency food assistance in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

Each week, Food Bank member agencies fill more than 14,000 requests for food to 153 hunger relief organizations in the tri-county area.

These agencies include faith-based pantries, homeless shelters and soup kitchens, shelters for battered women and after-school programs.

Since its inception, funds raised at Taste of the Valley have provided 5.6 million meals.

For information on the food bank visit www.mahoningvalleysecondharvest.org or call 330-792-5522.