The 2011 Summer Fancy Food Show — “North America’s Largest Specialty Food & Beverage Event,” which features 180,000 products from 2,400 exhibitors and 80 countries — is in full swing at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. But what happens with all the leftovers once the Show is over? D.C. Central Kitchen is hoping to give most of it a good home.

DCCK is is calling for volunteers to help save as much food from the festival, which ends tomorrow, as possible.

“The 100,000 plus pounds of food that we will be recovering is all top shelf product, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, that will have a tremendous impact on the meals we serve in our community,” said DCCK’s Mike Curtin, who is helping to organize the event. “Furthermore, it will allow us to focus our financial resources on our programs and services instead of purchasing food.”

The food collected tomorrow will help DCCK produce the 6,000 meals they make everyday to help feed the needy and provide culinary job training to District residents.

“The hospitality community has always been a huge partner for D.C. Central Kitchen and this is just one more example of how that community is invested in our community and wants to work to make it a better place for everyone,” Curtin added.

Obviously, collecting one hundred thousand pounds of food requires a lot of manpower. DCCK is seeking volunteers, 18 years of age or older, who will be able to load food between 2 and 8 p.m. tomorrow at the Convention Center. The organization is asking that those interested in participating contact them to set up logistics — if you can pitch in, email Stephen Kendall for details.