Gift for Life and International Market Centers have partnered to raise funds for crisis-related hunger relief through a new fundraiser, Come Together, which runs June 1- Aug. 1, 2022. The initiative, which bridges IMC’s digital and physical markets – JuniperMarket, Atlanta Market and Las Vegas Market – benefits World Central Kitchen’s efforts to provide fresh meals to displaced Ukrainian families.
“As the crisis in Ukraine escalates and as the need for food resilience programs is felt worldwide, we encourage the industry to come together to support the valuable work of Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen,” said Bob Maricich, CEO for IMC. “By placing orders with participating gift and home furnishings brands – online and in person – buyers and sellers can make a difference for communities in need.”
Giving Event Details
Beginning June 1, IMC’s summer market giving event will raise funds in three ways:
- JuniperMarket will donate $5 per order (up to $5,000) through Aug. 1
- IMC’s Markets in Atlanta and Las Vegas will match donations (up to $5,000)
- Participating vendors will donate a portion of proceeds from at-market sales (a full list of participating vendors will be available soon and vendors interested in participating can email cometogether@giftforlife.info for information).
Direct donations also will be accepted online. A fundraising goal of at least $25,000 is set for this program.
All Come Together fundraising will be directed to World Central Kitchen’s (WCK) #ChefsForUkraine program which has served more than 27 million meals across eight countries since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Through the program, WCK is bringing hundreds of thousands of daily meals and 12 million pounds of food to over 3,000 distribution sites across Ukraine to provide fresh meals to Ukrainian families fleeing home as well as people remaining in the country.
Working at a 24-hour pedestrian border crossing in southern Poland, WCK began serving hot, nourishing meals within hours of the initial invasion, and now is serving round-the-clock dishes at eight border crossings across the country. Additionally, WCK is supporting local restaurants preparing meals in cities across Ukraine including in Odessa, Lviv, and Kyiv. WCK teams are also on the ground serving thousands of meals every day in Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain and Germany.
Prize Eligibility
To incentivize order-writing on JuniperMarket, as well as individual contributions, IMC will award Atlanta Market and Las Vegas Market hotel and dining prizes to donors.
From June 1-15, buyers and sellers can qualify to win by either donating online at
https://donate.wck.org/fundraiser/3931045, or placing JuniperMarket orders. Winners, which will be randomly selected from all eligible participants, will receive one of seven prizes connected with the summer 2022 markets.
Atlanta Market | July 12-18, 2022 at AmericasMart Atlanta
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- Hotel Indigo – two-night accommodations and breakfast for two
- Hyatt Regency – two-night accommodations and breakfast for two
- Westin Peachtree Plaza – two-night accommodations and breakfast for two
- Marriott Marquis – two-night accommodations and breakfast for two
Las Vegas Market | July 24-28, 2022 at World Market Center Las Vegas
- $150 dining credit at Oscar’s Steakhouse at the Plaza Hotel
- $200 Dining credit at Bazaar Meat by Jose’ Andres at the Sahara Hotel
- Two complimentary tickets to either a Gordie Brown Show or a 52 Fridays show at the Golden Nugget Showroom, plus $100 Dining credit for the Salt Grass Steakhouse
JuniperMarket
From June 15-Aug. 1, buyers and suppliers donating directly at
https://donate.wck.org/fundraiser/3931045, or placing orders on JuniperMarket will be eligible to win hotel and dining prizes for IMC’s winter 2023 markets. Seven winners will be randomly selected from all eligible donors to receive one of the following prizes:
Atlanta Market (Jan. 10-16, 2023 at AmericasMart Atlanta)
- Hotel Indigo – two-night accommodations and breakfast for two
- Hyatt Regency – two-night accommodations and breakfast for two
- Westin Peachtree Plaza – two-night accommodations and breakfast for two
- Marriott Marquis – two-night accommodations and breakfast for two
Las Vegas Market (Jan. 29-Feb. 2, 2023 at World Market Center Las Vegas)
- $150 dining credit at Oscar’s Steakhouse at the Plaza Hotel
- Two complimentary tickets to either a Gordie Brown Show or a 52 Fridays show at the Golden Nugget Showroom, plus $100 Dining credit for the Salt Grass Steakhouse
- $200 Dining credit at Bazaar Meat by Jose’ Andres at the Sahara Hotel Direct
Connection to Ukrainian Relief Recipients
While it may seem that World Central Kitchen’s Ukrainian efforts are far away, the global nature of the gift, home décor and furniture industry means that some of those impacted are participants in IMC’s community of brands.
Las Vegas Market Ukrainian Pavilion
Seven Ukrainian furniture manufacturers will be featured in a special showcase, The Ukrainian Pavilion, within the B2 Furniture Temporary Exhibits at Las Vegas Market this summer. In Summer 2022, the Ukrainian Pavilion will present chairs, tables and sofas as well as bedroom and living room furniture.
Tivoli sales manager Alla Lisovskaya, who has organized the Ukrainian Pavilion at Las Vegas Market since 2018, shared her experience meeting World Central Kitchen chefs feeding Ukrainian refugees at the Polish border while she was transporting furniture for shipment to Las Vegas Market. “The world is small. By chance, I met two World Central Kitchen chefs, from Washington DC and San Francisco, in the Lviv region of Ukraine, where our factory is located. It was amazing to meet people in our small city who are connected to the same organization that Las Vegas Market fundraising will benefit,” Lisovskaya said.
“Having a direct connection to people in Ukraine who are receiving aid from World Central Kitchen is humbling. We are proud to raise funds to support the communities of the exhibitors who are coming from Ukraine to Las Vegas Market, and are pleased that ‘Come Together’ donations are benefitting workers and their families who are part of our global industry. These exhibitors and their communities are in our constant thoughts and we look forward to connecting with them at Las Vegas Market,” Maricich, IMC, added.
Upcoming Markets
Atlanta Market runs July 12-18 at AmericasMart Atlanta. Registration is open now at AtlantaMarket.com.
The next Las Vegas Market runs July 24-28, at World Market Center Las Vegas. Registration is open now at LasVegasMarket.com.
Gift For Life
Gift for Life was founded by Peter Schauben of Appleman Schauben in 1992 in response to the tragic loss of industry lives to AIDS. The organization’s first meeting at the National Stationery Show brought together a cross-section of the industry’s leading publishers, market centers, sales reps, manufacturers and retailers – all willing to convene and work together towards a common goal.
Since that time, Gift for Life has raised nearly $6 million for AIDS research, education, treatment and care through nationwide at-market events, cause marketing programs and direct donations. With COVID-19 temporarily causing cancelation of in-person events at industry markets, Gift for Life pivoted towards online digital events with a specific emphasis on COVID-related hunger relief. As Gift for Life celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2022, the all-volunteer organization will continue to support programs that address hunger relief. More information is available at
www.facebook.com/GiftForLife.
World Central Kitchen
Founded in 2010 by Chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen (WCK) is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises while working to build resilient food systems with locally led solutions. WCK has served more than 70 million fresh meals to people impacted by natural disasters and other crises around the world.
WCK’s Resilience Programs strengthen food and nutrition security by training chefs and school cooks; advancing clean cooking practices; and awarding grants to farms, fisheries, and small food businesses while also providing educational and networking opportunities. Learn more at
wck.org.
