The night kicked off with a New York City-themed cocktail hour featuring specialty drinks and bites at a re-creation of  Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle. Guests admired the room’s décor, in the likeness of this New York City icon, as they enjoyed signature martini and live entertainment. Snacks created by Culinary Council members Irene Wong and Mavis-Jay Sanders were also served.

Guests were then seated for dinner and the program, featuring a rousing welcome from past honoree Billy Porter. Billy brought so much talent, grace, and passion to the stage as he spoke about our mission to cook and home-deliver medically tailored meals to our neighbors living with illness. Thank you to Billy for reaffirming our mission to longtime supporters while showing those who are just getting to know God’s Love what we are all about.

Next, actor and singer Lea Michele took to the stage to perform a stunning rendition of “People” from Funny Girl, dedicated to the God’s Love staff, volunteers, and clients. Hearing the moving lyrics “No more hunger and thirst / But first be a person who needs people / People who need people / Are the luckiest people in the world,” the audience gave a spirited standing ovation.

Actor Freida Pinto, in presenting the award to Huma Abedin, expressed how Huma inspires her every day with her compassion, courage, and dedication to humanitarian efforts. When Huma Abedin accepted her Golden Heart Award for Outstanding Leadership, she spoke about the lineage of care she has experienced, from the care her mother gave her father who had kidney disease, to the care her son brings our clients each year by decorating holiday bags for our Thanksgiving meals with his school.

God’s Love We Deliver Board of Trustees Chair and former Chair of the Board of Directors, Michael Sennott, introduced our own President & CEO Karen Pearl. Michael reflected on meeting Karen for the first time 16 years ago and recalled realizing within minutes that she was the right person to lead God’s Love. Her fierce passion for helping others and a strong belief that food is medicine made her the perfect candidate for the position she holds today. After Michael’s heartfelt introduction, Karen received her Golden Heart Award for Lifetime Achievement.

For the past sixteen years, Karen has shepherded God’s Love through triumphs and challenges. Under her leadership we have grown in every way possible – weathered the challenges of COVID, made significant policy changes, quadrupled the number of meals we deliver, and so much more. During her heartfelt acceptance speech, she reflected on the power of nourishing our neighbors:

What better way to follow Karen’s unforgettable speech than with a rousing auction in support of our meals and nutrition services? Auctioneer Harry Santa-Ollala led guests through an auction featuring art by Peter Tunney, a culinary experience with Melba Wilson, Alan Cumming, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, and a once in a lifetime fashion experience with Michael Kors as well as program items. To get the audience going, Neil Patrick Harris and Alan Cumming jumped on stage and worked their magic.

As the night continued, model and activist Paloma Elsesser introduced Bella Hadid and lauded her for speaking out about mental health in an industry that often doesn’t encourage this important discourse. Bella graciously accepted the first-ever Michael Kors Awards for Mental Health Advocacy. Bella spoke passionately about the healing power of food and highlighted how important mental health services are. Bella shared more about her own mental health challenges and thanked God’s Love for serving people experiencing a range of mental health diagnoses through our “Connected” program.

And finally, God’s Love We Deliver Board member and champion Michael Kors introduced actor, philanthropist and entrepreneur Jessica Alba with the Michael Kors Award for Outstanding Philanthropy. Through her work with her wellness brand, Jessica knows how life-affirming the right ingredients can be. And, through her philanthropic work, she knows the importance of delivering dignity and love to the most vulnerable among us. That is why she is such a passionate support of our high-quality, medically tailored, home-delivered meals.

Billy Porter ended the spectacular evening by thanking everyone for supporting their neighbors in need.

For dessert, guests delighted in festive cake pops created by God’s Love We Deliver Pastry Chef and Culinary Council member Dorothy Auer. These cake pops included our Cocoa & Spice blend, which we have created in partnership with single-origin spice company, Burlap & Barrel. Take the flavor home with you by purchasing the blend (and others!) from our holiday catalog at glwd.org/shop!

The event supported our ongoing growth in response to the demand for our home-delivered meal program. During COVID-19, God’s Love has not only survived but thrived. We recently held the Grand Opening of our second facility at the Northern Dispensary. We are on schedule to deliver 3 million meals this year, all while expanding services for our clients. And we have successfully launched a program for veterans living with PTSD and a gestational diabetes program for pregnant people.

This year’s event raised more than $3 million, funding more than 300,000 medically tailored meals! The Golden Heart Awards help make our life-saving work possible.

Special thanks to our honorary chairwoman Anna Wintour, co-chairs, supporters, volunteers and staff!

The event, now in its 16th year, was emceed by past honoree Billy Porter, and this year recognized Bella Hadid with the Golden Heart Award for Mental Health Advocacy, Jessica Alba with The Michael Kors Award for Outstanding Philanthropy,https://t.co/jzfqBkZDzX

— WWD (@wwd) October 19, 2022

Golden Heart Awards @godslovenyc ❤️ Fundraising and honoring some amazing women! @michaelkors @godslovekaren @bellahadid @theebillyporter @freidapinto @nph @humaabedin @leamichele @jessicaalba @phconsultmedia @iambigphill pic.twitter.com/48e12TJtJ4

— Carl Thomas Granvil (@carltgranvil) October 18, 2022

Nothing better than representing The Points Guy for God’s Love We Deliver’s annual fundraising gala! @thepointsguy @godslovenyc #nyc @mimi__wright__ pic.twitter.com/rLmBjcmNxx

— Clint Henderson (@ClintPHenderson) October 18, 2022

 

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A post shared by Michael Kors (@michaelkors)

Mom & Dad date night at #GoldenHeartAwards. ❤️
Magical evening celebrating all the amazing work @godslovenyc does- delivering over 30 million medically tailored meals since 1985.
Incredibly honored to sit on the Board of Directors. pic.twitter.com/0d4M61bbZq

— Nicky Rothschild (@NickyHilton) October 18, 2022