News

Gift for Life announced a partnership with GHTA (Gift & Home Trade Association) to host a “30 for 30” fundraising campaign during this year’s GHTA Annual Conference, September 21 -23, in Tampa, FL. All funds raised will benefit World Central Kitchen’s programs addressing food insecurity and crisis-related hunger relief.

The “30 for 30” campaign, which is the latest in a years-long series of partnerships between GHTA and Gift for Life, invites GHTA’s Annual Conference participants to donate $30 in recognition of Gift for Life’s 30^th anniversary. The fundraising effort, which will benefit World Central Kitchen’s crisis-related hunger relief efforts, has a $5,000 goal.

“We appreciate GHTA’s continued partnership,” said Cole Daugherty, chair of Gift for Life. “From networking events at industry markets to auctions for dinners with tequila tastings and charity golf tournaments, the organization has consistently supported Gift for Life initiatives and helped engage our industry for a common good.”

The GHTA Annual Conference attracts the gift and home industry’s leading manufacturers, retailers, sales agencies, trade media, market makers and industry suppliers.

“We are delighted to use the backdrop of our sold-out Annual Conference to lift up Gift for Life’s fundraising efforts,” commented Laurie Burns, Executive Director of GHTA. “An important part of our Annual Conference is the opportunity to give back. We invite all 2022 GHTA Annual Conference participants to join us in supporting the efforts of Gift for Life.”

To donate to GHTA’s “30 for 30” fundraising campaign benefitting WCK, visit: https://donate.wck.org/GHTA22.

Gift and Home Trade Association (GHTA) was formed in 2000, as the gift and home industry’s non-profit professional trade association. The Association was designed to help and encourage vendors, sales agencies, industry affiliates and retailers to work together, improving relationships and making business better by providing members with the opportunity to exchange ideas and network with industry leaders. The Association’s mission is to create a national forum connecting industry leaders in their pursuit of ideas, innovations, and best practices to advance business progress. For more information about GHTA, visit: www.giftandhome.org.

World Central Kitchen (WCK) was founded in 2010 by Chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen uses the power of food to nourish communities and strengthen economies in times of crisis and beyond. In 2020, with COVID-19 straining traditional food security safety nets like school feeding programs, city services and food banks, WCK pivoted to safely distribute individually packaged, fresh meals in communities that needed support and launched the Restaurants for the People program to scale nationwide. Fast forward to 2022 and the escalating crisis in Ukraine and at home. When disaster strikes, WCK’s Chef Relief Team mobilizes to the front lines making sure there is always a warm meal, an encouraging word, and a helping hand. World Central Kitchen has provided tens of millions of fresh, nourishing meals for communities around the world. Donations will be used to support emergency food relief efforts and resilience programs. For information, visit www.wck.org. If you’d like to host your own fundraiser for World Central Kitchen, click HEREor contact a member of the Gift for Life board

 Gift for Life was founded by Peter Schauben of Appleman Schauben in 1992 in response to the tragic loss of industry lives to AIDS. The organization’s first meeting at the National Stationery Show brought together a cross-section of the industry’s leading publishers, market centers, sales reps, manufacturers, and retailers – all willing to convene and work together towards a common goal. Since that time, Gift for Life has raised nearly $6 million for AIDS research, education, treatment and care through nationwide at-market events, cause marketing programs and direct donations. With COVID-19 temporarily causing cancelation of in-person events at industry markets, Gift for Life pivoted towards online digital events with a specific emphasis on COVID-related hunger relief. As Gift for Life celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2022, the all-volunteer organization will continue to support programs that address hunger relief. More information is available at www.giftforlife.org.