April 21, 2015 – More than 600 guests joined Food Bank For New York City at our 13th Annual Can Do Awards Dinner, helping to raise more than $2 MILLION—and counting! Our star-studded gala, presented by Bank of America at Cipriani Wall Street, is instrumental in helping provide support for the 1.5 million New Yorkers who rely on Food Bank, and last night we honored several incredible partners for their commitment to fighting hunger in our city: Tom Colicchio and Lori Silverbush, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and Sandra Lee—Simply Living Publishing. (Photo: Ken Goodman)
In celebrating all that our honorees do on behalf of struggling New Yorkers, Food Bank President and CEO Margarette Purvis painted a sobering picture of the battle our neighbors in need face: “Hunger is a Goliath. When he wields terror over this city, most victims are women and their children. Tonight we’re recognizing New Yorkers who have joined the fight to take down the giant among us.”
Mario Batali, Carla Hall and Daphne Oz of ABC’s The Chew created a winning recipe as masters of ceremonies for the night’s event, which featured appearances by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, TODAY’s Erica Hill, and Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman of country music group Little Big Town.
We were also honored to have Governor Andrew M. Cuomo join us as a special guest. His impassioned speech pinpointed the evening’s central message. “People have a right to basic dignity and care that stems from good nutrition and food. Hunger is a question of…human rights.” During one of the night’s most moving moments, 16-year-old Fatima Arellano helped bring that central message to life by sharing her story and captivating the crowd.
In addition to a silent auction, other highlights of the evening included a live auction for such prizes as dinner prepared in your home by the “Three Castrati,” acclaimed chefs Mario Batali, David Chang and Tom Colicchio.
Our special musical guest, Grammy Award-winning country music group and ACM Vocal Group of the Year, Little Big Town, closed out the night with a rocking set that wowed the crowd and capped off a fun-filled evening celebrating what all of us CAN DO to end hunger.