Gumbo Cook-off to benefit Volunteers for Youth Justice

The quest is on to see who has the best gumbo in Northwest Louisiana and beyond as Volunteers for Youth Justice (VYJ) is hosting its first-ever Battle of the Gumbo Gladiators, a gumbo cook-off on Saturday, March 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Festival Plaza in downtown Shreveport.

Gumbo winners will be selected by local celebrity judges as well as a people’s choice winner, and live music will be provided by the Glenn Rainey Band.

Sponsors, teams and vendors are needed to make this a fantastic and fun event.

Sponsorships range from $100 to $2,500 and feature a variety of promotions, food tickets, event t-shirts and other incentives to sponsoring partners. Cost to enter the contest is $100 for either non-seafood or seafood gumbo, or $125 to compete with both. The winning team in each category gets $400. Teams can also decorate their tents and provide incentives at their booth to compete for the $250 People's Choice Award. Non-food vendors are also being sought, with the cost for a vendor booth just $25. Louisiana-themed or Louisiana-made items are preferred, and vendor space is limited.

All proceeds from Battle of the Gumbo Gladiators support Volunteers for Youth Justice, a non-profit organization providing critical services to abused, neglected and at-risk children in Northwest Louisiana.

To learn more about the event, register a team or become a sponsor, visit the official website: www.gumbogladiators.com. Non-food vendors interested in participating should contact Amie Roberts at 318-425-4413.

VYJ's mission is to train and support volunteers as they intervene in the lives of children and youth who are or at risk of being involved in the juvenile court system.

Volunteers for Youth Justice was established in 1981 by a group of visionary women from First Presbyterian Church in Shreveport who saw the need for a prevention program to protect our local youth from entering the court system. Today their legacy holds steadfast as Volunteers for Youth Justice offers a myriad of services that deal with diverting children from a life of crime. Through our diversion program services these young people learn self-respect, self-worth, and conflict resolution skills. These skills enable them to have a vision for the future, which in-turn makes them successful citizens in our community. To learn more, visit www.vyjla.org.