The New Jersey Agricultural Society will host its annual dinner gala on March 18 at the Hamilton Manor in Hamilton, NJ. Nearly 250 guests usually attend the event, which is the society's most successful fundraiser and an honored tradition of the agricultural community and supporters.

Guests will also enjoy dinner, entertainment, a live auction and raffle prizes. The proceeds of the gala help fund programs in hunger relief, school garden education and agricultural leadership. The gala also provides the opportunity for society members and the general public to come together to support the society's programs and honor agricultural award recipients.

At this year’s gala, the live auction will feature a grand prize of a one-week stay in Belize, tickets to Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL, and other great prizes. Auction and raffle prizes will be updated on the society’s website.

Award recipients in 2016 will be John Rigolizzo for the Gold Medallion Award, Campbell Soup for the President's Award, Ort Farms for the Century Farm Award and Christine Doucette for Teacher of the Year Award.

The 2016 "Cheers to 20 Years" gala will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the society’s Farmers Against Hunger program, which collects and distributes surplus fresh produce from farms, grocery stores and produce suppliers to community organizations serving those in need. Farmers Against Hunger recovered 1.4 million pounds of produce in 2015, helping to bridge the gap between food waste and food insecurity with 7,500 residents in need receiving healthy food weekly as a result of the program.

The gala also benefits the society's two other programs: Learning Through Gardening, which provides school gardens and training to elementary schools; and the New Jersey Agricultural Leadership Development Program, which provides educational training for farmers and agribusiness professionals to develop informed, articulate industry leaders.

The society encourages supporters to consider sponsorship or advertising in the gala journal as a charitable contribution. Sponsorship ranges from $500 to $5,000, and the ad journal ranges from $75 to $150. Every donation brings the society closer to its fundraising goals, which allow it to expand. For more information, visit www.njagsociety.org to learn more and support the gala.