Despite Canceled Gala, HCF to Donate $350,000 to Partner Charities
ROSEMONT, IL (July 9, 2020) —Although its annual Housewares Cares Charity Gala was canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Housewares Charity Foundation (HCF) is making $350,000 in donations to beneficiary charities. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), the HCF’s legacy charity, will receive $250,000, and $50,000 will be given to both the James Beard Foundation and Winning With Wyatt, which supports pediatric brain tumor research.
The gala was scheduled for March 16 during The Inspired Home Show 2020 in Chicago. Honorees were to be Johnny Morris, founder & CEO of Bass Pro Shops, with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Retail Innovation; Daniel Leppo, executive vice president & GMM, Menswear, YoungWorld & Home Furnishings at Bloomingdale’s, with the Humanitarian of the Year Award; and William Endres, president of Select Brands, with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Although the gala was canceled, our fundraising efforts continued and the housewares industry responded. We thank everyone who contributed to the HCF and allowed us to support our charitable partners even in this challenging time of COVID-19,” said Derek Miller, president of the International Housewares Association, which provides administrative support to the foundation.
As the pandemic continues, the HCF’s current fundraising drive is focused on raising money to purchase face masks for those in need. For additional information and to contribute, please visit the HCF website at HousewaresCharity.org.
Since the first gala in 1998, HCF has raised more than $51 million and has been credited with donating more than $30 million to BCRF. Since 2000, HCF has funded 120 BCRF research projects. Over the years, housewares-supported breast cancer advances have included:
- Identification of new therapeutic targets in aggressive breast cancers.
- Advancing new combination therapies in patients with breast cancers caused by BRCA mutations.
- Identifying new approaches to counter drug resistant breast cancer.
- Development of new imaging tool to select patients for anti-metabolism drugs that block tumor growth.
The 2021 Housewares Cares Charity Gala will be held March 15 during The Inspired Home Show 2021. For more information about the HCF, its honorees and its charities, please visit HousewaresCharity.org or contact Paul Murphy at 508.272.0717 or pimurphy11@gmail.com.
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The International Housewares Association is the 82-year-old voice of the housewares industry, which accounted for (US)$394.3 billion at retail worldwide in 2018. The not-for-profit, full-service association sponsors the world’s premier exposition of products for the home, The Inspired Home Show, IHA’s Global Home + Housewares Market (TheInspiredHomeShow.com), and offers its 1,400 member companies a wide range of services, including industry and government advocacy, export assistance, industry and consumer trends through the IHA Market Watch, executive management peer groups, a B2B community at www.housewares.org, group buying discounts on business solutions services and direct-to-consumer engagement through TheInspiredHome.com.
