Investing in Joy & Abundance at the 2024 Community Harvest Gala: Bread and Roses
“This next phase is more than just an idea. It’s a declaration to stand up against the food and social injustices that build walls within our South Seattle community. It's the choice to band together in partnership. It’s being hopeful that each effort we make brings us one step closer to securing the future us.”
Those are lines from the poem “Bread & Roses” by RVFB’s Human Resources, Lashawntae Montgomery that set the tone for a night of celebrating in the spirit of joy and abundance. This year’s Community Harvest Gala: Bread & Roses was rooted in the idea that everyone in our community deserves to access not only the “bread,” the food that nourishes our bodies, but the “roses,” representing joy and abundance.
We gathered at Sodo Park, inviting our community to join in our mission of ending food insecurity in South Seattle, knowing that we all deserve both bread and roses.
The program began in the true spirit of Rainier Valley Food Bank, with a lively trivia game quizzing our guests on everything from how many individuals we served in 2023 to how much the average households save on groceries each month when utilizing our services (fun fact, the answer is $240). Everyone shared a family-style meal and drinks, with wine provided by W.T. Vintner's & Gorgiste, Timber City Ginger Beer, and a rose-infused mocktail crafted by Jude’s Old Town and Wilderton Spritz. Together, we crowned the winner of the second annual Bag Packing Competition, Geoff Anderson, clocking in at a speedy 16 seconds!
Our Keynote Speaker and award-winning chef, Becky Selengut, shared about finding community and resourcefulness through food. She recalled her experience of teaching new immigrants how to be prep cooks in the 90s, and how she learned more from them, like the time her Vietnamese students told her that the cilantro stems she composted were “as good as the leaves” and are “used in many of their dishes.”
“I went home that night, chewed on a cilantro stem, and felt a rush of both appreciation for the lesson and shock at the privilege of my ignorance,” Becky shared.
She reflected on her experience of squid-jigging with friends and how the community came together after the activity didn’t land in their favor. “Turns out we only caught one squid each, barely enough for a snack, but as I cooked, person after person, strangers before that evening brought their buckets up and offered squid for the pot. We shared the bounty together.”
We honored long-time volunteer Kathy Smith, who has served with us for over 20 years and founded our Spark-to-Go program with the Ed Parks Service Award. Henry Harris, our Food Bank Coordinator, presented the award and shared the impact Kathy’s made in South Seattle. “She spent 6,240 of her days here for a total of 28,600 hours of service in the community. Not only did she do that, but she packed 75,600 lunches since she’s been here,” Henry shared. “When I first met [Kathy], she was the toughest cookie I ever met. And it takes a tough person to put in 24 years and to do what she’s done.”
The live auction, raise the paddle, and silent auction brought vibrance and energy to our event. Our guest speaker, Executive Director of Town Hall Seattle, Kate Nagle-Caraluzzo, talked about her agricultural background and how it’s led her to work toward ending food insecurity. She encouraged everyone to continue advocating for our neighbors and keep the spirit of bread and roses in mind in this work.
“If you’re in the room tonight, it’s because you share our vision for a hunger-free South Seattle. I invite you now to consider how you can show up in our collective efforts to be part of the solution. Your investment in RVFB is an investment in a future of abundance and joy.”
We’re thrilled by the incredible support everyone showed this year. Thanks to our community’s generosity and enthusiastic investment in our work, we raised $250,000, making this year’s Community Harvest Gala our most successful by far!
At the gala, we premiered a video highlighting our continued investment in this work, how we’re serving through change as we begin our revitalization project for our Community Food Hub.
Browse the evening’s photo gallery below for a glimpse of the evening’s festivities!
