PORTLAND, Ore. – A recent for-benefit fundraising effort by the Willamette Valley Wineries Association raised $5,000 for Ecotrust, a Portland-based non-profit. A total of 34 wineries participated in the annual event, with the proceeds benefiting Ecotrust’s Farm to School program. The Ecotrust Farm to School program helps ensure that children throughout the region understand where their food comes from; Ecotrust serves as a regional leader in the National Farm to School Network and has helped Oregon become one of the first states to bring farm to school principles into pre-K environments.

Ecotrust wishes to thank the Willamette Valley Wineries Association (www.willamettewines.com), which represents Oregon’s leading wine region and two-thirds of the state’s wineries and vineyards. The region is recognized as one of the premier Pinot Noir producing areas in the world.

About Ecotrust’s Food & Farms Program
Ecotrust’s mission is to inspire fresh thinking that creates social equity, economic opportunity, and environmental well-being. With regard to our Food & Farms program, we improve public understanding of agriculture and the challenges it faces and increase the market share of regionally grown, processed, and manufactured foods. Whether by introducing a farmer to a chef or a food processor to an institutional buyer, Ecotrust is a trusted “benevolent broker” that has been making connections between food buyers and sellers in the Pacific Northwest for a decade. Learn more at ecotrust.org.

About Willamette Valley Wineries Association
The WVWA is a non-profit industry association dedicated to achieving recognition for Oregon’s acclaimed Willamette Valley as a premier Pinot Noir producing region. Currently, the WVWA has 180 members representing wineries and tasting rooms throughout the Willamette Valley region – from Portland to Eugene. Memorial Weekend in Wine Country and Wine Country Thanksgivingare the two oldest WVWA sponsored touring events in Oregon. Learn more at www.willamettewines.com.