Celebrate United: Kicking Off Our Campaign with a Focus on Food
We kicked off the 2025 - 2026 fundraising year at our 5th Annual Celebrate United Brunch! This year, we sliced into one of the most urgent and widespread issues facing our community today: food security. Our expert panel was made up of the Executive Directors of the Sequim, Port Angeles, and Forks Community Food Banks: vital community leaders who discussed the growing need for free, nutritious, readily available food in our community, and how we can meet that rising need together.
Fundraising Totals
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who supported our Campaign Kickoff. Together, our wonderful community helped raise over $19,500!!!
- Tickets & Sponsorships: $9,940
- Donations: $7,475
- Mission Mugs: $1,314
- Buy Up Items: $600
- Miscellaneous: $200
Event Photos Are Live!
Sending a huge thanks to the multitalented Sara Leger for taking our beautiful event photos. You can find her at legerexperiences.com
Messages of Hope from Our Panel
Our panel of Food Bank Executive Directors had some incredible wisdom to share with us. They understand food security in Clallam County from both an operational and personal perspective. We've excerpted powerful quotes from each speaker below:
Andra Smith, Sequim Food Bank
"Just know, we sit up here and we talk about numbers, and we talk about increases and need. Those are our neighbors. Those numbers are people. They’re our friends, our neighbors, they’re people that help you in your everyday lives. They’re people sitting next to you.
If you could do one thing, it’s just help break that stigma of accessing food support. It’s ok to ask for help, and it’s ok to come.
Emily Dexter, Port Angeles Food Bank
"I want you to see hunger as your issue also. [Food Bank Directors], we're making sure everyone knows where their next meal is coming from. We make sure all the kids in the school districts on the West End have enough food for the weekend. It’s a huge financial issue for those families. It’s a huge burden for the kids to bear when they see their parents like this, for adults who come in and get food for their [elderly] parents."
We are all in this together. We are a community; Sequim, PA, Forks; working really hard to bridge those lines.
Pat Soderlind, Forks Community Food Bank
“The [question], when you’re serving that many people, is going to be, ‘how do you purchase more food? Where does this food come from?’ So the rising need is financial as well as, 'how do you get the donations? How do you get people in our community to understand that this is a very real need?' This isn’t just something that people are taking advantage of. They don’t.
"I don’t know if anyone in this room is old enough to remember how it used to be when you [would] go to the food bank. It was embarrassing, it was humiliating. But if your family’s hungry, you’ll do anything to feed them.
I think I have a very simple message for everyone: be understanding, be supportive, and be compassionate. But most of all, if you can, be giving.
Mission Mugs Silent Auction
This year we introduced something brand new to Celebrate United and we were thrilled with the response from the community! Our Mission Mug Centerpieces were much more than decor — they were curated packages donated by United Way Board Members and supporters. Each unique and beautiful set was made available as a silent auction item, which together raised vital funds for hardworking families in Clallam County who struggle to make ends meet. Thank you to everyone who donated, bid on, or purchased a Mission Mugs centerpiece!
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