Cleverley Stone’s Daughter Is Leading Houston Restaurant Weeks

HRW group

Today, Houston Restaurant Weeks announced that Cleverley Stone’s daughter, Katie, is stepping into her mom’s role overseeing the annual fundraiser that supports the Houston Food Bank. Stone passed away recently after a difficult battle with uterine cancer but wanted the 17-year old multi-week charity event she founded to continue. This year, the dine-out fundraiser is from August 1 through September 7, Labor Day. As always, participating restaurants will be serving multi-course meals at set prices for brunch, lunch and dinner. Each one sold generates a donation to the Houston Food Bank ranging from $3 to $7, depending on the meal.

Cleverley Stone
Houston food journalist, radio host, television personality and founder of Houston Restaurant Weeks, the late Cleverley Stone. Photo by Evin Thayer.

Before her death, Cleverley was well aware that the COVID-19 crisis has made finances more difficult for independent and local restaurants. However, despite these difficulties, Katie Stone wants to ensure that her mother’s legacy lives on. She said via a press release:

“This has been a very difficult time dealing with the grief of my mother’s passing and at the same time wanting to take up her baton. I have been overwhelmed by the support I have received and words of encouragement to keep HRW alive. I am pressing forward and looking toward a successful month-long event. So many of my mother’s longtime ‘kitchen cabinet’ restaurant owners and operators are behind me and I hope Houstonians will rally around HRW 2020!”

Houston Restaurant Weeks is organized strictly by volunteers and all of the donations from participating restaurants go directly to the Houston Food Bank. Last year, more than 250 restaurants participated. The Montgomery County Food Bank and the Galveston County Food Bank also benefit from the fundraiser, thanks to a partnership with the Houston Food Bank. Donations from restaurants operating in those counties go to their respective food banks. Under Cleverley Stone’s leadership, Houston Restaurant Weeks has raised over $16.6 million, which represents 44.1 million meals donated to food-insecure individuals and families.

The participating restaurants for 2020 are expected to start being posted to the Houston Restaurant Weeks website sometime in July, with final additions due by August 1.

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