A large portion of proceeds from the Austin Reggae Festival benefit the Capital Area Food Bank.

In 2009, the event generated more than $200,000 and more than 10,000 pounds of food for this very worthy charity. These donations helped provide meals for more than 690,000 hungry families throughout the Central Texas region. 

"We had a really strong turnout at this year's event," commented Austin Reggae Festival event coordinatior Pat Costigan. "The two headlining acts (Skatalites and Wailing Soul) created a lot of interest. And despite a stormy forecast, the weather turned out to be amazing. It is really gratifying that so many people were able to come together for such a great cause."

Even more impressive is the long-term impact of the Austin Reggae Festival in terms of helping to eliminate the problem of hunger in Central Texas. Over the last 15 years, the event has generated more than 350,000 pounds of food for our less fortunate neighbors.

The Capital Area Food Bank currently provides food and grocery products to 355 Partner Agencies in 21 Central Texas counties. In 2008, CAFB distributed more than 17 million pounds of food. The CAFB service area covers 19,064 square miles in Central Texas.