G Dalton Risner welcomed Bengals fans from all over the region to Paycor Stadium Wednesday night for another year of Taste of the Bengals benefiting Freestore Foodbank.

For more than 20 years, the partnership between the Bengals and Freestore Foodbank has worked to provide meals for hungry families in Greater Cincinnati. All the proceeds from Wednesday night went directly to supporting Freestore.

News anchor Bob Herzog from Cincinnati's Local 12 and Bengals Radio Analyst and Ring of Honor member Dave Lapham served as hosts for the event, while Risner was the honorary player host.

"There's over 90,000 kids in our city who don't know where their next meal is coming from," Risner said in his address to the crowd. "As fun as tonight is… let's not forget what tonight is really about."

Risner has made his mark on Cincinnati since arriving late in the 2025 offseason: He previously partnered with Freestore to provide Thanksgiving meals to families in the area.

"Everyone at Freestore from the top down, they're made from the right stuff," Risner said.

According to Freestore's President and CEO Kreg Keesee, one ticket to Taste of the Bengals helped provide up to 600 meals to the community. Since its inception, the event has been able to raise the equivalent of more than 4.6 million meals.

Local restaurants were well represented in the CareSource East Club, as vendors from across the region had samplings of some of their premier dishes. Fans mixed and mingled with some of their favorite Bengals as well, as players and coaches attended the event and signed autographs.

Attendees were also able to bid on a silent auction that featured various Bengals activities, including a tour of Paycor Stadium led by Risner, lunch at Paycor Stadium with K Evan McPherson, P Ryan Rehkow and LS Will Wagner and attending a closed practice.

Taste of the Bengals kicked off events leading into the Bengals annual Open In Orange home opener on Sept. 13 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Since Open In Orange's inception in 2024, the team has sold official season shirts, with proceeds from the shirt benefitting Freestore Foodbank. These shirts have helped raise more than the equivalent of 650,000 meals. The 2026 season shirt is available at the Bengals Pro Shop or online now. Fans can also donate to the Rubber Duck Regatta, taking place Sunday, Sept. 6.

"The Bengals are proud of our more than 20-year partnership with Freestore Foodbank in the fight against hunger in our community through Taste of the Bengals," Bengals Director of Community Engagement Taylor Conklin said. "This event's success is a testament to the dedication of Freestore Foodbank staff, volunteers, participating restaurants, players and coaches who have helped make it the largest event of its kind in the NFL. The Foodbank's commitment to providing resources to families and ending hunger is truly inspiring, and we look forward to continuing our partnership to make a lasting impact in the communities we serve."