Elmont Memorial PTSA Dad’s Club to host Taste Off

The Elmont Parent Teacher Student Association Dad’s Club will host a Food Taste Off event Oct. 5 at Elmont Memorial High School from noon to 2 p.m. It will aim to educate attendees about breast cancer for both women and men.

“We came up with the idea of doing a food tasting and incorporating it into also celebrating and recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October,” Jon Johnson, president of the Dad’s Club, said. He credits Education board trustee Lynette Battle and Natasha Model for helping create the event. 

During the Taste Off, 16 dads will present a variety of foods from Caribbean cuisine, to southern and halal food and more. 

“We will have a very wide array of foods for the Elmont community to come out there and taste,” Johnson said of the event. 

Community members and student volunteers have also agreed to help make this event possible. 

Healthcare experts from Northwell Health will partner with the PTSA during the event to teach community members about the importance of breast cancer awareness and early detection. 

More than 260,000 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Early detection methods and support continue to increase the chances of survival for those who are diagnosed. The foundation’s website says that when breast cancer is caught in its earliest, localized stages, the five-year relative survival rate is 99 percent. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 percent of all new cases of breast cancer in the United States are found in women younger than 45 years old. Breast cancer is the second-most common cancer among women in the country. 

Two speakers will speak at the event about their personal cancer journeys, Johnson said. Pamphlets and leaflets will be passed out to those in attendance as well.

The Dad’s Club hopes to make the Taste Off an annual event to get the community together and raise awareness about breast cancer. 

“The more of the Elmont community that comes out, the more this event will grow,” Johnson said.

There is a $10 entry fee for the Taste Off per person. All proceeds will go towards PTSA initiatives that benefit students in the community and the community at large. All neighbors are invited to attend the Taste Off on Saturday before Elmont’s varsity football game kicks off at 3 p.m.