It was another spectacular day at The Golf Club at Newcastle as 260 Amazon employees, 45 volunteers and FareStart staff gathered for a round of fun, sun and golf at the 23rd Annual Amazon Golf Tournament benefiting FareStart.
While there were prizes handed out at the end of the day, everyone was a winner as we collectively raised $236,000 to support FareStart’s job training and food security programs. In the past six years, the Amazon Golf Tournament has generated an impressive $1.3 million to support FareStart’s work in the community.
None of this would be possible without the support and partnership we enjoy with Amazon, who not only sponsors this event, but also generously donates funds and in-kind spaces where we train our students for future careers in the food industry. The FareStart Café, which operates in the donated lobby space of Amazon’s Houdini North building on Fairview Avenue, generates revenue that supports FareStart’s mission and enables us to train young people in our Barista and Customer Service Program.
Amazon also provides a 7,000 sq ft kitchen space in its Galaxy building where we prepare Community & School Meals while training students in our Food Pathways Program. Amazon also generously donates thousands of pounds of fresh produce every year from their rooftop gardens which we put to good use in our community meals.
“We are so grateful to the team at FareStart for another wonderful event. Another great time was had by 250+ Amazonians and our generous sponsors. It seems every year is better and better organized thanks to FareStart and their volunteers. We are excited to continue this tradition in 2025 and beyond.” – Jake Iwen, Amazon Golf Committee Member
We want to express our deepest gratitude to all of our sponsors who made this event possible and, in so doing, help us transform lives and feed our community: Amazon, AWS/AMD, Callaway, Dick’s Drive-In, ADP, Fidelity Investments, Luly Yang, Ogletree Deakins, Slalom and Verizon Business. Your generosity directly impacts our food security and job training programs.
Thanks also to the golfers, volunteers and our amazing community for your continued support. We had over 45 people dedicate over 200 hours of their collective time to help us run the event — checking in golfers, providing golf cart transportation for attendees, manning the activities stations, breaking down the event and setting up the evening reception.
After a full day on the course, we gathered for a dinner reception, auction and awards ceremony. CEO Patrick D’Amelio shared some of FareStart’s transformative work in the community and the impact that events such as the Amazon Golf Tournament have on FareStart’s mission.
“We are so grateful to Amazon and all our sponsors and volunteers who contributed so much to this fantastic event. Partnerships such as these play a pivotal role in ensuring that FareStart can continue to provide job training and career placement opportunities for our students while we help feed the community. Thank you for supporting FareStart’s mission of transforming lives through food. Your support makes a real difference in our work!” – Patrick D’Amelio, FareStart CEO
*Photos by Phil Shen
