GraceWorks’ Neighbor Serving Neighbor annual fundraising dinner is Thursday, April 27, at the Factory. The theme for the dinner is Hope for Tomorrow, where we will present the hope GraceWorks brings to struggling Neighbors needing tangible help.
This year, we have so many board members, businesses, churches, public servants, community services and other partners sponsoring tables that we didn’t get to send out invites to the general public because there simply was no more room. We expect 600+ attendees to pack Liberty Hall, and we have a waiting list of those still wanting to come!
We didn’t have the annual dinner at all in my first year as CEO. I started in November and being short staffed and too overwhelmed with the learning curve of discovering all that GraceWorks was, I didn’t have the bandwidth to also plan and host a major event along with the Turkey Trot and the Manger.
The following year we had the first dinner under my stewardship at the new Homestead Manor and considered it a great success with around 250 attendees. Then just as we were planning our next dinner, which by the way was also our 25th Anniversary … BOOM!, COVID hit! And like everyone everywhere for the next nearly two years, we refrained from hosting a public event that necessitated people gathering in close quarters.
Last year, we got back on track by hosting a dinner of 400+ attendees. This year’s dinner with more than 600 guests and a growing waitlist holds the promise of outdoing our other two successes.
I am personally excited to see how our annual dinner has grown in the six years that I have been CEO.
Attendance at the fundraising dinner isn’t the only thing growing! There have been even greater increments of growth in requests for our key services of food, shelter, and support. Here is a snapshot of the year over year percentage increases we are experiencing:
Total Households Served (Unique & Unduplicated) = 42% increase
Food pantry carts (Duplicated) = 25%
Rent/mortgage help (Unique & Unduplicated) = 62% increase
Utility help (Unique & Unduplicated) = 45% increase
Holiday Services (Manger & Christmas Food Boxes combined) = 94% increase
As you can see your help is needed! And while I wish everyone who wanted to, could join us at the Neighbor serving Neighbor dinner, you still can be part of the event, if you aren’t able to attend. Through the online auction you can get a jump on those attending the dinner by getting an early bid on fun things like a Grill, Guitars, Getaways, Special Autographs and more, all while in the comfort of your living room or maybe even while in your jammies! Here is the link to participate: https://www.graceworkstn.org/events/dinner/
However you decide to support us, you make it possible for us to say yes to all these increases! It is your generosity that has fueled the Hope for Tomorrow of our Neighbors. Thank you for trusting GraceWorks to represent your deep care to those around us in need!