Speakers

Eric will provide an update on major projects and initiatives at Welfield Botanic Gardens including the progress on the Japanese 'Island Garden' set to open later this fall.

**THIS LUNCH MEETING WILL BE AT WELLFIELD BOTANIC GARDENS** and will also serve as a preview to the upcoming Taste of the Gardens event on Sunday, August 25.

Taste of the Gardens presented by the Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau, takes place on Sunday, August 25th from 11 am to 6 pm at the Wellfield Botanic Gardens, located at 1011 N. Main Street in Elkhart, Indiana. 

Taste of the Gardens is a “must attend” event, celebrating the beautiful Wellfield Botanic Gardens, regional arts, live music and great local food. This year’s event features a dozen local restaurants and caterers. For a complete restaurant lineup and menus visit wellfieldgardens.org nearer the event date.

This year’s entertainment includes two stages that include live music and performing arts throughout the day starting promptly at 11 a.m. Musical guests include Hideous Business, Tumbleweed Jumpers, and Troll for Trout.  

The regional juried fine art show features over 50 artists from Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, displaying their original jewelry, ceramic, sculpture, paintings and more.  

Wellfield Botanic Gardens continues to be the star of the show - with a newly opened Children’s Garden, beautiful flower displays, over 18 acres of water and water features, sculpture, and natural beauty that is a must see.  

Event admission is $8.00 when purchased in advance or online at www.wellfieldgardens.org. Tickets at the gate are $10 the day of the event; children ages 12 and under are free. Food and drink tickets are available throughout the venue. There is free parking and shuttles to the gardens available all day, including handicap parking adjacent to the gardens. 

The event is held rain or shine, under the tents at the gardens. More than 5,000 guests are expected to attend this annual Elkhart County favorite.

Taste of the Gardens is the Elkhart Rotary Club’s signature fundraising event to support the ongoing growth and development of Wellfield Botanic Gardens, furthering its mission to celebrate the inseparable relationship between water and life, inspire creativity and lifelong learning, foster stewardship of our natural world, and grow community.

Todd Zeltwanger is the Director of Fund Development for Cultivate Culinary and will share how Cultivate is addressing the issues of food waste and food insecurity in our region, including a presentation on a unique weekend backpack program that is feeding elementary school students.

Todd Zeltwanger is the Director of Fund Development for Cultivate Culinary and has been for the past year. Prior to coming to Cultivate, he had served as the Vice President for Development at Ancilla College for 10.5 years. He is a graduate of Purdue University and has worked in a variety of sales and fundraising positions in his career. Todd lives in Bremen with his wife of 31 years, Marty.

As a 501c3 not-for-profit organization, Cultivate is devoted to ending the cycle of hunger in the local communities of northern Indiana by providing a food rescue service. Their mission is to build a local network of food suppliers with the goal of providing wholesome meals so no one in our community goes hungry.

Help Cultivate to provide food to the most vulnerable in our community. Donations and volunteer time are invaluable to changing lives in northern Indiana. Cultivate's partnership with Notre Dame and other local food suppliers provides a great opportunity to feed members of our community who are food-insecure. Their food rescue program fills the gap between potentially wasted food and the people and organizations that need food the most.

For a quick video about Cultivate and what they do, CLICK HERE