Community Harvest Gala: Celebrating Growth & Resilience

What could make a beautiful fall evening better than a chance to rekindle connections, meet new folks, and celebrate the growth and resilience of our organization?

The evening kicked off with a video encapsulating our growth over the past year and sharing our excitement for what's ahead. Throughout the night, guests enjoyed powerful speeches from our staff. Our Community Connector, Abnet Hailu, spoke about the power of mentorship and perseverance. Our Food Bank Coordinator, Henry "Jai" Harris, shared his perspective of our RVFB family and how coming together as a community to support one another uplifts us all. We honored our longtime donor, Kohl Construction, with the Ed Parks Service Award. Our guest speaker, Estela Ortega, Executive Director of El Centro de la Raza, also captivated the crowd, speaking about the value of investing in future generations and uplifting one another. 

Our live auction brought fiery competition as our guests raised their paddles to outbid one another. Among the most popular packages were A Little Bit of Bavaria, Get Out of Town, and our coveted Board Wine Basket. 

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, we raised more than $106,000, which will help fuel our annual operating budget, ensuring our community members have access to fresh, healthy food and support when accessing community resources. Our Administrative Assistant, Felicia Parson, said it best, "we're still a food bank, but we're doing a whole lot more."

Thank you to our sponsors, Arcora Foundation, Windermere Real Estate, WaFed Bank, and Kaiser Permanente, for providing us with funding to underwrite this event. 

Our online donation portal is still open if you'd like to donate to help fuel the work we do.