What an incredible night for Essentials First and the community that makes our work possible!
Our first-ever Community Fundraiser brought together community leaders, elected officials, advocates, supporters, families, and friends for an evening of connection, celebration, and a shared commitment to expanding hygiene access. Together, we set an ambitious fundraising goal of $150,000 — and then more than doubled it, raising an extraordinary $306,000!
This remarkable achievement is a testament to what happens when a community comes together to love its neighbors out loud. Every contribution helps bring hope, health, and essential hygiene supplies to thousands of families across the Eastside and beyond. We are deeply grateful to everyone who helped make this milestone possible.
We invite you to enjoy a selection of photos from the evening below, with more moments to come on our social media in the coming days!
The People Behind the Evening
An event of this scale takes an extraordinary amount of collaboration, generosity, and hard work. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed their time, talents, resources, and support to bring our first Community Fundraiser to life.
OUR SPEAKERS
Mayor Angela Birney • Representative Janice Zahn • Keri Pravitz • Irene Muller • Khizer Sheriff • Cody Becker, Emcee • Nabrath Sheriff • Khwaja Shamsuddin • Erv DeSmet • Nickhath Sheriff
MUSIC & MEDIA
Anjuman, Live Music • Spotlight Society, Event Video and Photo
OUR SILENT AUCTION, DESSERT DASH & IN-KIND DONORS
Piya Beauty • LUSH • Qamaria Redmond • Third Culture Coffee • Wetzel’s Pretzels • Whole Foods Market Redmond • Cafe Bollywood • Tanoor • Olive & Spice • Joe Stevens • Rita Zawaideh • Rhenda Meiser • Sunita Shastri • Woodinville Rotary
OUR HYGIENE CHAMPIONS & THEIR FAMILIES
Our Hygiene Champions brought incredible energy and enthusiasm to the evening, serving as an important reminder of the next generation of advocates working to advance hygiene access. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Champions and their parents and families for being such an important part of the Essentials First community. A special thank-you to Maryam Ali, whose coordination and hard work throughout the planning process helped bring so many pieces of the evening together.
OUR ESSENTIALS FIRST FAMILY
Our incredible staff, Board of Directors, advisory board, and volunteers devoted countless hours of preparation, planning, and care to making the evening a success. We are deeply grateful for everything they did to bring this event to life.
OUR COMMUNITY
Together Center • Our partner organizations • Table sponsors • Elected officials and public servants in attendance • Community leaders • Supporters, friends, and families
Looking Ahead, Together
To everyone who attended, contributed, sponsored, volunteered, donated, or helped spread the word: thank you for believing in this work and making an extraordinary $306,000 possible.
We recognize the important responsibility that comes with your trust and generosity. These funds will help Essentials First continue advancing hygiene access and serving individuals and families throughout our communities.
Our first Community Fundraiser was more than a successful evening — it was a powerful demonstration of what we can accomplish when we come together around a shared purpose.
Thank you for loving your neighbors out loud. We couldn't do this without you!
With deepest gratitude,
The Essentials First Team