Baby2Baby, the national non-profit organization that provides basic necessities to children experiencing poverty, hosted its annual Baby2Baby Gala Presented by Paul Mitchell on Saturday, November 11 at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.
Credit/Copyright: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Baby2Baby
The evening honored Salma Hayek Pinault with the “Giving Tree Award” presented to her by Channing Tatum, and featured a special performance by Snoop Dogg. The sold out gala was attended by more than 800 guests including Hollywood talent and executives, business leaders, and philanthropists who helped raise more than $12 Million to support Baby2Baby’s mission. Since its inception, the organization has distributed 170 million diapers to children living in poverty across the country – more than any organization of its kind.
Baby2Baby Angels Kim Kardashian, Olivia Wilde, and Zoe Saldana kicked off the night to welcome guests, highlight Baby2Baby’s incredible year-round work, and stress the Gala’s importance for the organization’s fundraising. “I am so proud to be back up on this stage after receiving the Giving Tree Award last year, and I can’t believe how much Baby2Baby has accomplished since then,” said Kardashian. “In just one year, they distributed 100 million items like diapers, formula, clothing and cribs and have now provided over 375 million essentials in the last 12 years. Bottom line Baby2Baby means business and they know how to get sh*t done. And this is why I choose to invest in Baby2Baby.”
“This event is so much more than just a party. It single handedly raises millions of dollars to make Baby2Baby’s vital work possible. This one night is where Baby2Baby raises 60 percent of their operating budget,” said Wilde.
Saldaña reflected on her work with Baby2Baby, serving families and listening to their stories. “I’ve seen the tears in mothers’ eyes and heard their sighs of relief when receiving a pack of diapers,” she shared. “This is Baby2Baby’s entire mission. Providing the essentials that every child deserves. They are a lifeline for parents in need.”
Baby2Baby Co-CEOs Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer Patricof took the stage to call attention to Baby2Baby’s core mission and highlight their critical work providing essentials to one million children across the country this year alone. “For 12 years, we’ve talked about how 1 in 3 families in this country are choosing between food and diapers, which is what inspired the two of us to start Baby2Baby. And now, after COVID and record-breaking inflation, it’s gotten worse. Much worse. Today, a staggering one half of all families in this country are struggling to afford diapers,” said the Co-CEOs. “A few years ago we built our own manufacturing system in order to produce diapers for 80% less than retail and distribute five times as many. This has allowed us to donate 170 million diapers, more than any organization across the country. But we are just scratching the surface. We have requests for 1.3 billion diapers this year alone.”
The Co-CEOs also shared how Baby2Baby partnered with the White House this year to pilot a program to combat the maternal mortality crisis in this country, where women are dying during or shortly after childbirth at double the rate of a generation ago. Additionally, Weinstein and Sawyer Patricof highlighted Baby2Baby’s recent vital disaster relief work across the country, which included sending more than half a million emergency supplies to children affected by the Maui wildfires, delivering formula and clothing to support thousands of families who lost their homes after tornadoes in Mississippi, shipping over 350,000 emergency supplies to Florida in the wake of Hurricane Idalia’s destruction, and more. “We know and deeply understand the fear of donors that their money or donations will not reach the intended recipients. But ours did and do. We step back and listen and assess. We wait for requests to come in from trusted partners on the ground–from the smallest grassroots organizations to the largest government agencies like FEMA or the Red Cross. Then, we provide families with their most urgent needs–in the shortest possible time.”
Oscar-nominated actress, Emmy-winning director, producer, and humanitarian Salma Hayek Pinault was honored with the “Giving Tree Award” for her commitment to supporting children in need around the world. The award was presented to her by actor Channing Tatum who said, “for 10 years I’ve followed the amazing work that Baby2Baby has done and it represents every single thing Salma cares about the most – children, babies, moms, and women.” And continued to say, “Salma, thank you for always being a source of inspiration.” When Salma accepted the award from her former co-star she said, “Channing is like family to us. He’s Channing Tatum Pinault Hayek. We absolutely adore him. Such a good heart.”
During Hayek Pinault’s acceptance speech, she said “I can feel the love in this Baby2Baby community… and I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that you guys included me in this very special night. I am such a big fan of this organization. I have a lot of respect for it.” She spoke from first-hand experience to stress the importance of providing basic essentials, from saving lives to instilling compassion. She concluded, “Dignity is an essential. Diapers are dignity, make no mistake.” She continued, “Everything you donate and everything that Baby2Baby brings – there is an intention, not just money. It is love. It is compassion. It is caring. We are interconnected – baby to baby.”
During the gala, Baby2Baby Board Member Julie Bowen and Baby2Baby Angel Zooey Deschanel led the fundraising portion of the evening to help raise more money for Baby2Baby than ever before, allowing the organization to reach millions more children in need.
Baby2Baby Board Member Nicole Richie and Sofia Richie Grainge closed out the evening introducing the gala’s special musical performer, global music and cultural icon Snoop Dogg who performed “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang,” “Gin & Juice,” “Beautiful,” “Drop It Like it’s Hot,” “I Wanna Love You,” “The Next Episode,” and “Young, Wild & Free.” In honor of his performance, Baby2Baby has provided nearly 300,000 essential items to support the children in the Snoop Youth Football and Basketball Leagues and Snoop Special Stars, both of which provide the opportunity for thousands of inner-city children across Los Angeles to participate in youth football, youth basketball and cheerleading.
Additional guests at the gala included Jessica Alba, Camila Alves McConaughey, Alessandra Ambrosio, Jen Atkin, Hailey Bieber, Julie Bowen, Jordana Brewster, Vanessa Bryant, Ayesha Curry, Michaeline DeJoria, Jenna Dewan, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons, Dany Garcia, Emma Grede and Jens Grede, Lucy Hale, Lori Harvey, Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams, Savannah James, Heidi Klum, Monique Lhuillier, Chriselle Lim, Demi Lovato, Joel Madden, John McEnroe, Michelle Monaghan, Normani, Gwyneth Paltrow, Katherine Power, Nikki Reed, Michael Rubin & Camille Fishel, Maria Sharapova, Jay Shetty, Molly Sims, Cole Sprouse, Chrissy Teigen, Rachel Zoe, LA Mayor Karen Bass, and many more.
Sponsors for the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala include title sponsor Paul Mitchell as well as City National Bank and Volvo Car USA.
The culinary-rich dinner experience, which features dishes from Los Angeles’ top chefs and restaurants, was curated and led by Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo of Jon & Vinny’s, Son of a Gun, Cookbook Market and Carmelized Productions. Participating restaurants included Angelini Osteria, Badmaash, Broad Street Oyster Co. & goop Kitchen, Burger She Wrote, Catch, Cookbook Market, Dear John’s, Funke, Helen’s Wines, Kato, KazuNori by Sushi Nozawa, Kogi BBQ, Mr. Chow, Night+Market, Pane Bianco, Slab, Suá Superette, and Yangban, with desserts from Craig’s Vegan Ice Cream, Levain Bakery, and McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams and late night bites from Jon & Vinny’s and Tacos 1986. Baby2Baby Gala attendees also sipped on Casamigos cocktails throughout the night.
For the second year, the gala also featured a Baby2Baby Meta Booth to help raise awareness for the organization and support for its mission. The Baby2Baby Gala was produced by Best Events.
