News

Our third annual GivingTuesday Shelter Gala is happening this month and we’re making it bigger and better than ever!

GivingTuesday is a global movement to encourage generosity and giving back. It falls on the Tuesday after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and promotes charitable giving. This year’s GivingTuesday is on November 29^th, and the way that we celebrate GivingTuesday at FIRST UNITED is by throwing a special gala for our shelter residents!

This will be our third time hosting our GivingTuesday Shelter Gala, which differs from the typical charity gala. Our Shelter Gala celebrates and serves our shelter residents, giving them an incredible evening of entertainment and gifts, as well as a specialty meal. We’re thrilled that celebrity chef Billy Nguyen will be back to prepare gourmet meals for 50 of our shelter residents.

This year, we’re also excited to announce that we’re taking the five-star meal to the streets of the Downtown Eastside! In addition to preparing a special meal for our shelter residents, Chef Billy will also be preparing over 200 gourmet meals to serve to the broader community from our new FIRST UNITED food truck.

We’re raising $75,000 for this event, where we’ll provide 50 residents with comfort, dignity, and a special celebration, and provide over 200 DTES community members with gourmet meals.

We’re inviting you to join us this GivingTuesday by starting a peer-to-peer fundraiser!

Gather family and friends and jointly raise $500, $1500, or $2500 to become a gift sponsor, table sponsor, or evening sponsor. Starting your own fundraiser is easy: just set up your page through CanadaHelps online system.

Or if you and or your business want to become a solo sponsor, you can! See below for sponsor tiers and information about how to get involved.

Become an evening sponsor: $2,500

Residents will enjoy their gala experience from your named table. Businesses will be recognized as Community Partners for one year on our website, and individuals will be recognized as Community Donors. Also included is an employee engagement/volunteer experience, where you and 7 others may assist with a food truck meal service and receive a community education session!

Become a table sponsor: $1,500

Shelter residents will enjoy their gala experience from your named table, and you can submit a short message to be displayed. Photos from our expanded community lunch and Shelter Gala will be shared directly with you as a keepsake. Ensure residents have an exceptional evening, and support First’s bigger picture work.

Become a gift sponsor: $500

In true holiday fashion, all residents are given gift bags with special treats at the Shelter Gala. Become a gift sponsor and we’ll also include a hand-written card with a custom message from you inside, to make it a truly personal experience.

To become a sponsor:

Contact Director of Development, Katie Bricknell Koncan, at 604.335.9334 or [email protected] to discuss how you can become a sponsor.

Individuals who purchase “sponsorships” for the Shelter Gala are eligible to receive a charitable tax receipt for their contribution. Businesses who become sponsors can receive sales receipts and marketing opportunities.