Robert Egger, founder of DC Central Kitchen, will deliver a keynote at the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts on Oct. 7.

South Sound Partners for Philanthropy is hosting the evening event, which is open to nonprofit professionals, board members and community leaders across the region, according to the organization's announcement.

A networking reception begins at 5 p.m. with small bites from Masonry Cafe Catering. Egger's presentation runs from 6 to 7 p.m. on the main stage.

The event matters locally because the coalition serves nonprofits across Thurston, Mason, Lewis, Grays Harbor and Pacific counties.

Egger founded DC Central Kitchen in 1989 as a nightclub manager in Washington, D.C. The organization collects leftover food from hospitality businesses and farms, uses it to fuel a culinary arts job training program, and provides meals to local service agencies.

He went on to launch the Campus Kitchens Project in 2001 and LA Kitchen in 2013.

Event organizers say the organizations Egger founded or co-founded have collectively distributed more than 400 million meals and helped thousands of people attain food service jobs.

Organizers also describe him as a founding board member of World Central Kitchen alongside Chef José Andrés.

"We are entering one of the most critical junctures in our nation's history," Egger said in a written statement announcing the event. "Donors need to change the way we give, and nonprofits must change the way we use what we're given."

His 2004 book, "Begging for Change," won the 2005 Terry McAdam Book Award for best nonprofit management book from the Alliance for Nonprofit Management.

The Minnaert Center is on the South Puget Sound Community College campus at 2011 Mottman Road SW. Registration is available on the South Sound Partners for Philanthropy website.