The housewares industry raised $1 million during the 2023 Housewares Cares Charity Gala presented by the Housewares Charity Foundation (HCF).
Proceeds from the March 6 event, held at the Four Seasons Chicago in conjunction with The Inspired Home Show 2023, benefited the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), the HCF’s legacy charity; the James Beard Foundation, the gala’s partner; Winning With Wyatt; and the V Foundation.
Since the first gala in 1998, HCF has raised more than $56 million and has been credited with donating more than $32 million to BCRF.
This year’s gala honored William Endres, Select Brands founder and president, with the Lifetime Achievement Award; Daniel Leppo, Bloomingdale’s executive vice president and GMM, menswear, kids, The Home Store and cosmetics, with the Humanitarian of the Year Award; and Clea Shearer, co-founder of The Home Edit, with the Humanitarian of the Year Award.
The non-profit HCF raises funds annually for designated charities and help unite and promote the philanthropic image of the housewares industry. Honorees are selected for their humanitarian support and exceptional leadership.
This year’s HCF gala offered 350 attendees dinner and a cocktail reception featuring three tasting stations hosted by James Beard Foundation chefs, including Damarr Brown, Beverly Kim and Greg Wade.
The event, emceed by QVC television personality David Venable, included a live auction. Auction offerings included a private dinner with William Lauder at Le Bernardin in New York City; a week in Provence, France; tickets to the James Beard Media Awards and to the James Beard Restaurant & Chef Awards in Chicago; tickets to the Sonoma Epicurean event; a private in-home dinner by Chef Daniel Green; a custom Canali suit package; and three luxury housewares packages.
For more information about the Housewares Charity Foundation, its honorees and its charities, please visit HousewaresCharity.org
