On September 18, 2026, members of the Brantford community came together for an evening of generosity, celebration and hope at The Blessing Centre’s Building Hope Together Gala.

Held at the Best Western Brantford, the event brought together supporters who share a common goal: helping The Blessing Centre establish a permanent home so it can continue providing essential services to people experiencing food insecurity in our community.

For more than 40 years, The Blessing Centre has been providing food and basic necessities to Brantford residents in need. Today, the organization provides a hot meal 365 days a year, along with food rescue and a warming centre. The need remains significant, with The Blessing Centre reporting that one in six Brantford-area households is experiencing food insecurity.

Millards is proud to support the Building Hope Together campaign

As part of our ongoing commitment to the communities we serve, Millards Chartered Professional Accountants was proud to support the gala as a matching-gift partner.

Millards committed to matching donations made during the evening, dollar-for-dollar, up to $20,000 — helping amplify the generosity of gala attendees and supporters.

The response from the community was remarkable, with the gala aiming to raise more than $100,000.

Every dollar represents another step toward The Blessing Centre’s goal of securing a permanent home.

Building a permanent home

The Building Hope Together campaign, known as 12 x 1000, is designed to bring the community together around an ambitious goal: 1,000 people each inspiring 12 friends to contribute $100. Together, that would generate $1.2 million toward a permanent home for The Blessing Centre.

A permanent facility would provide The Blessing Centre with a stable foundation from which to continue its work and serve the community for years to come.

But the campaign is about more than a building.

It is about creating a place where people can find a warm meal, a welcoming environment and the dignity and compassion everyone deserves.

A community effort

The gala was a wonderful reminder of what can happen when local organizations, businesses and individuals come together around a shared purpose.

Millards is grateful to The Blessing Centre for the important work it does in Brantford and proud to have played a part in an evening that demonstrated the generosity of our community.

We would also like to thank everyone who attended the gala, made a donation, sponsored the event, volunteered their time or helped spread the word about the Building Hope Together campaign.

At Millards, we believe that being part of the community means more than doing business here. It means helping build a stronger community for everyone.

Congratulations to The Blessing Centre on a successful evening — and thank you for allowing Millards to be part of the journey.

Together, we can build hope.

 

Pastor Dave Carrol captures the fun and excitement at The Blessing Centre’s Building Hope Together Gala.

Event MC, Carrol is also the Pastor of the Freedom House and Host of About Brant on Rogers TV. “One of the things I love most about the Blessing Centre is this simple truth: everyone who needs a hot meal every single night gets one. That’s our city.”