The 27th Annual Great Food, Better Lives Gala Auction

It was another incredible Gala event as the FareStart community of donors, volunteers and supporters celebrated the accomplishments of our students and apprentices in style. Because of the overwhelming support, our participants can continue with their journey towards a brighter future.

The FareStart community raised over $2 million - a record-breaking amount!

We cannot thank this community enough and the organizations that sponsored this amazing event at the Convention Center are many, but distinguished. We want to thank our presenting sponsor, Amazon, for their steadfast support of FareStart over the years. We want to extend our gratitude to our premier sponsor, Microsoft, for their long-standing support of FareStart.

We also want to thank all of our sponsors: Aegis, Alaska Airlines, Aramark, Archbright, Bargreen Ellingson, Boeing, Charlie’s Produce, Continental Mills, Cornerstone Advisors, Cornerstone Architectural Group, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, KPMG, MOD Pizza, Net-Tech, PCC, Starbucks, Sysco, Tulalip Resort Casino, Verity Credit Union and Whole Foods Market.

“I believe we have a responsibility to care for our family, friends, neighbors and our community,” FareStart CEO Angela Dunleavy-Stowell said from the stage. “Just by being here tonight you are changing the outcome of our students’ lives. You are part of their story now — you are part of their journey to rediscover their greatness. Together, we can disrupt poverty and restore hope. Because all of us are FareStart. Thank you.”

We featured a short film of Dani, an Adult Culinary graduate. After the showing, she took to the stage. 

“I had a whole speech prepared, but I’m just going to speak from my heart,” she said. “I realized I couldn’t have done this without the support of everyone in this room. I can honestly say that without FareStart, without this program, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t have been able to change my life. You gave me this opportunity and I’ll never forget it.”

The support of this community makes our work possible. Thank you for enabling us to be a catalyst for change for our students and apprentices.