A Wonderful Evening of Community, Generosity, and Good Food.
We just wrapped up our first (and perhaps annual!) Lasagna Dinner on July 2, 2026, at the United Church of Gainesville (UCG), which graciously donated the use of its space for the evening, including access to its kitchen, oven, refrigerator, and dining area.
Originally envisioned by our Advocacy Committee as a spaghetti dinner, the event eventually became a lasagna dinner in support of the Immigrant Safety Fund through a local reputable organization.
The organization does incredible work in the areas of social justice, social services, health education, and public policy. As they describe their mission:
"We design and implement projects that strengthen communities and their understanding of critical health and social justice issues."
A special thank you goes to Chris Ott, who has helped organize community dinners like this across North Central Florida Labor Council and a variety of organizations . With Chris's experience and the dedication of our volunteers, we were able to host a welcoming evening that brought people together for a meaningful cause. We consider our first dinner a tremendous success and hope it's the first of many.
We are also incredibly grateful to the many individuals and organizations whose generosity made the evening possible.
Trader Joe's donated eucalyptus and flowers that became our beautiful table centerpieces.
Chris and Michelle Ott generously donated all of the ingredients for the lasagna, prepared the meal, and made enough to feed more than 30 guests—with leftovers to spare.
East End Eatery donated chafing dishes, serving utensils, a salad bowl, and additional kitchen supplies.
Robert Chapman, a member of the United Church of Gainesville, volunteered throughout the evening and stayed afterward to help close and secure the building.
First Magnitude Brewing Company donated 40 cans of beer, including Vega, Blonde Ale, and 72 Pale Ale.
The University Club donated four bottles of wine.
Vine Sourdough Bakery donated baguettes for garlic bread.
Doug Loeb coordinated the planning of the night with Ash Johnson.
We also want to recognize our Board of Directors—Cat, Nelida, Ashley, Dex, Carolina, and myself (Cai)—who donated beverages, including wine, soda, lemonade, and sweet tea, while also contributing countless hours planning, organizing, setting up, and hosting the event.
Many wonderful comments on our GiveButter page !
Looking Back
Our goal was to maximize the funds that could be directed to the Immigrant Safety Fund. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our donors and in-kind contributions from local businesses, we were able to keep event expenses very low so that the overwhelming majority of proceeds could support the organization.
Through Givebutter, the platform we used for event registration and donations, we received $775 in ticket contributions and an additional $610 in donations from supporters who were unable to attend but still wanted to contribute. Before the event even began, community members had already helped raise $1,385.
Approximately 30 guests preregistered, and an additional six or so attendees joined us at the door. Thankfully, we had prepared extra seating and extra food, which allowed us to welcome everyone comfortably. It's a great reminder for future events to always plan for a few additional guests and to also reserve seats for volunteers !
Throughout the evening, we also held a raffle and a 50/50 drawing. Community members made donations to receive raffle entries, and the 50/50 drawing split the prize pool equally between the winning ticket holder and the fundraiser. Our winner, Amanda Husband, generously donated her winnings—approximately $90—back to the fundraiser, a gesture that perfectly reflected the spirit of generosity shared throughout the evening.
By the end of the night, we had raised approximately $2,000 in support of the Immigrant Safety Fund.
One thing we'll definitely tweak next year is the order of the evening. We spent about 40 minutes hearing from some wonderful speakers before serving dinner, and while the conversations were meaningful, the lasagna cooled more than we would've liked. That's an easy fix, and we're excited to make next year's dinner even better.
To everyone who attended, donated, volunteered, or helped make this evening possible: thank you. Your generosity, kindness, and commitment to supporting our community made this event something truly special. We are deeply grateful and already looking forward to what we can accomplish together in the future.
Signing off,
Cai Husband (they/them)
Board of Directors
