The Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center Foundation is inviting lovers of fine wine and international cuisine to help celebrate the “Flavors of Life” while at the same time raising funds to help local seniors in need.

The Foundation is hosting the 17th Annual Benefit Auction 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Mann Biomedical Park in Valencia. All proceeds will benefit the SCV Senior Center’s Home Delivered Meals and related programs.

“This year’s event is a special tribute to the international ‘Flavors of Life’ that are reflected in the cultural backgrounds of the many seniors who benefit from the Senior Center’s vital services,” said Kathy Crone, director of development for the Senior Center. “We’re excited about the cuisine, the wines and the live entertainment that will be part of this celebration.”

Guests at the event will experience a five-course buffet with an international flavor, provided by Be A Guest catering. A live jazz quartet from Tony Capko Entertainment will perform, and guests will also have the chance to bid on numerous live and silent auction items including rare premium wines, special “thrill rides” and other unique opportunities.

Previously held at Juan Alonso’s fine dining restaurant, Le Chene, and broadly known for the past 16 years as the Wine Auction, this year’s SCV Senior Center Foundation Benefit Auction will launch a new era at a new location while also paying tribute to its history.                      

Among the festivities will be a salute to former Santa Clarita Mayor Jo Anne Darcy, a longtime community activist and senior advocate who was a driving force behind the inception of the wine auction and its establishment as one of the community’s most eagerly anticipated events. Fittingly, the Santa Clarita City Council is serving as the honorary chair of the event.

“We’re so grateful for the people like Jo Anne Darcy and Juan Alonso who pioneered the event and have made the Senior Benefit Auction so successful over the years,” Crone said.

Individual tickets to the SCV Senior Foundation Benefit Auction cost $70. Special VIP tickets — which include entry via horse-drawn carriage and admission to premium tastings — are available for $100 each.

Tables and a variety of sponsorship opportunities are also available for community-minded businesses and individuals. More information is available online — and tickets and tables of 10 can be purchased via Paypal or credit card by visiting the Foundation’s website, www.scvseniorfoundation.org. Reservations and additional information about the benefit auction are also available by calling the SCV Senior Center at 661-259-9444.