As I write this to you, we are just one month away from the JSM Inaugural Gala Dinner & Silent Auction at The Capital Hilton.
We want to thank Aimee Dominick and Lauren Kohr of A. Dominic Events for expertly managing what will be a stellar event. Thanks also to Mike Caruso of Caruso Florist for the donation of flowers; John Kwiecinski of EPI Printing for the Save The Date, invitations, and programs; Heidi Kallett and Lynne Sandler, for the invitation design and lettering of envelopes, respectively; David Piscola and Titou Phommachanh of the Capital Hilton for their expertise and generosity; Roman Holton for producing the video that will be introduced at the Gala; Kevin Mulholland and Michael Visconti for producing our “rolling credits” for the evening; Tom Ruggieri’s Cheek to Cheek Trio; the Elizabeth Seton Honors Choir; Ira Wexler Photography; our auction committee volunteers from Georgetown Visitation; and so many others – from Board members to volunteers. It truly does take a village to produce an event of this caliber. The response has been wonderful and we have so many people to thank privately for their generous support.
If you have not made plans to attend, it is not too late. Give me a call at 202.587.5749 and we’ll be pleased to add you to the guest list.
As most of you who follow us already know, the summer campaign was a resounding success and kept the pantries open and serving the inner city poor. We are now busy with fall activities – a Thanksgiving drive at several of the high schools and our new partnership with the Greg Gannon Canned Food Drive (ggcfd.org) — we will be delivering more than 10,000 cans of food on Saturday, December 6th alone. And, with the proceeds from the Gala, we will ensure that the pantries provide complete holiday meals for the hundreds of families who need our help then and throughout the winter.
Although we are just coming up on our first year anniversary, our fiscal year (partial year, actually) ended September 30th. In this short span of time, we have had the support of thousand of individuals who have contributed thousands of dollars, tens of thousands canned goods, hundreds of gallons of milk, thousands of eggs, thousands of pounds of produce — and much more — to the hundreds of families who benefit from your kindness. These folks cannot thank you, so I will. Rest assured they are grateful for your gifts and that you have eased the burdens they face in everyday life.
What has been most meaningful for me has been reuniting with friends and the friends of board members and donors — people who “get it” — who understand the needs of the inner city and embrace our efforts to help. Washington is the 6th most food insecure city in America, and while we are not solving the problem, we are contributing to the solution. We are doing it one donor and one can of food at a time, but together, all of us are doing it. We are grateful for your support and know that we can count on your continued goodness as we move forward.
“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done.” (Proverbs 19:17)
