JANESVILLE—Ace Champion knows food can be different things to different people.
For some, it might be simple sustenance—such as a meat loaf dinner on Sunday.
For others, it’s a celebratory token used to commemorate holidays, birthdays or weddings.
For still others, food is a precious commodity that, despite its necessity, sometimes falls out of reach.
When the Green Bay-based chef visits Janesville next month to present a cooking demonstration to benefit Bags of Hope, the goal will be to offer something for everyone.
“I work with about 11 charities a year, and most of them are food-related,” Champion said. “I’m a firm believer the last thing people should go without is food.”
Now in its 13th season, Bags of Hope is a Janesville School District-sponsored program that strives to provide two weeks worth of groceries for 350 local families and 50 senior citizens during the district’s winter break (Dec. 22-Jan. 2 this year). According to the district’s website, this year’s food distribution event will be Saturday, Dec. 11, at the Dollar General warehouse, 101 Innovation Drive, Janesville.
“It’s just a great program, it really is,” said Denise Jensen, the district’s administrative assistant to the superintendent and Bags of Hope co-chairperson. “The feeling of being able to help so many families basically makes my year. It’s a labor of love.”
Bags of Hope donations are distributed at winter break because that can be a particularly challenging time for students and their families.
“Students often lose out on nutrition and also on educational value by not having proper nutrition since they’re not in school to receive their lunches and breakfasts,” Jensen said. “If we can provide that for families and for our students, we’re also helping to benefit the community.”
Champion is all-in when it comes to helping the community. He recalls fondly the warm reception he received while visiting Janesville for the 2019 Bags of Hope fundraiser.
“Everyone was so welcoming,” said Champion, who was limited to a Zoom demonstration during the COVID-19 pandemic last year. “I think I hugged every person there and had personal conversations with them. It was really humbling.”
The food theme for the 2021 fundraiser has not yet been revealed, but Champion’s overall message remains the same: Teach people food can be both fun and nutritious, and that cooking needn’t be a chore.
It all starts with education and motivation, he said.
“I’ve learned that teaching people needs to be about more than just recipes. You have to inspire them to cook,” Champion said. “I’ve had people tell me they hate to cook, and you can see it when their health is suffering. Now, those same people are cooking two or three times a day and feeling good and healthy.
“That brings me joy, because it’s not just about putting food in people’s mouths,” he added. “It’s about giving them something to heal themselves emotionally and physically.”
Champion said he learned a lot about connecting with people through cooking after transitioning from a restaurant chef to a private knife for hire.
“When I started cooking in restaurants, I didn’t get the chance to communicate with the people I was serving,” he said. “Now that I’m doing mostly classes and in-home private dinners, I’m playing a part in people’s memorable experiences. I get to see the looks on their faces and know how appreciative they are to learn. By being there, I’m doing more than just cooking. I’m educating them and showing them food is life.”
Champion encourages all to attend the Bags of Hope fundraiser regardless of their culinary skills, saying food is one bond that everyone shares.
“I picked a profession that connects every living being on the planet,” he said. “We eat for energy, and that’s what keeps us alive. It’s important to remember that, when you do eat, you need to put things into your body that it will appreciate getting.
“We are the caretakers of our own bodies.”
