Emergency Food Network’s annual Abundance Dinner and Auction hosted more than 450 people in the McGavick Conference Center at Clover Park Technical College on October 26. Attendees arrived at the event with non-perishable food donations and by the end of the evening had raised more than $430,000 to provide food for hungry families and individuals throughout the community. For every dollar donated, Emergency Food Network is able to provide 5 meals for a family in need.
“The generosity shown by attendees of this event was absolutely amazing,” said Michelle Douglas, CEO at Emergency Food Network. “There was a palpable energy of caring, passion, and commitment to helping our neighbors in need. Guests all over the room gave and many pledged monthly donations to support our mission all year long.”
The evening began with a silent auction and moved on to dinner, a live auction, and a presentation about hunger in Pierce County. Guests enjoyed a video demonstrating the true scope of Pierce County’s need, which has grown to 1.3 million guest visits to food sites in 2018. Emergency Food Network meets this need by distributing 13.9 million pounds of food annually to 80+ food pantries, meal sites, and shelters throughout Pierce County. The auction total accounts for 14% of the organization’s operating budget.
Emergency Food Network has seen a great amount of support from local businesses for Abundance. The Presenting Sponsor of Abundance is Waste Connections. The Lead Sponsors are Host Hospitality, The Boeing Company, Toyota Lift Northwest, Whole Foods Market, and Zack Rosenbloom & Associates. The Supporting Sponsors are Chuckals Office Products, CHI Franciscan, Debbie Johnson Family Properties, Gordon Thomas Honeywell, HomeStreet Bank, Snuffin’s Catering, and WSECU. The Table Sponsors are Amerigroup, Coordinated Care, DaVita, Elevate Health, Financial Insights, Gus Paine Insurance, Heritage Bank, Johnson Stone & Pagano, LaborWorks Industrial Staffing Specialists, Leavitt Group Northwest, Lakeview Light & Power, Mosby Farms, MultiCare, Northwest Harvest, Panagiotu Pension Advisors, Stolz & Associates, Teamsters Local 117, Sheri and Jeff Tonn, TOTE Maritime Alaska, TrueBlue, TwinStar Credit Union, and UFCW Local 367.
For more information about Emergency Food Network and its mission “to provide Pierce County with a consistent, diverse, and nutritious food supply so that no person goes hungry,” visit www.efoodnet.org.