Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.
-Anonymous
Dear Friends,
Families Moving Forward kicked off the holiday season with its annual Chefs for Change Dessert Gala. The atmosphere at the event was electric, as guests buzzed around the room with friendly chatter, warm smiles and laughter, and lots of hugs! As my grandmother always said, “[We were] all dressed up with someplace to go.” This "someplace" was especially meaningful because we were all there to support the work of FMF by raising funds for the fire sprinkler system in its emergency shelter.
As more than 200 of our faithful friends and family bid on auction items, they nibbled delectable hors d'oeuvres and desserts prepared by some of Durham’s finest chefs and pastry artists. We are grateful to Sweets by Shayda, Mad Hatter Café, Guglhupf Bakery, The Refectory Café, Bull City Bake Shop, Kanki, Southern Harvest Catering, and many others for their generosity. We encourage you to stop by these local eateries to pick up tasty goodies for your own upcoming holiday gatherings.
As the evening shifted toward the program, FMF proudly shared the video produced and donated by Brad Hinkle, which spotlighted Kentora’s family and highlighted the important work FMF does for families facing the crisis of homelessness. The grand finale of the gala was a ceremony to honor some of FMF’s most dedicated partners. Kim O’Neil from the FMF Board of Directors received the 2022 James T. Hewitt Distinguished Service Award, and The Links received FMF’s 2022 Outstanding Partnership award.
To cap off a very memorable evening, FMF announced that Gala guests and supporters had helped to raise more than $24,000 at the event! All of us at FMF want to say a huge THANK YOU to all of the wonderful friends and partners who came together to help us pay for this much needed sprinkler system.
Happy holidays and may your days be filled with abundant blessings as we begin 2023.