Lifelong launches first-ever Seattle Pride Gala as food waitlist hits 1,600

As Pride Month approaches, Seattle-based community health organization Lifelong is partnering with Seattle Pride to launch its first-ever Pride Gala, a black-tie fundraiser aimed at expanding health and food access for the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.

The inaugural Lifelong Pride Gala — billed as “an evening for equality” — will feature a cocktail reception, three-course seated dinner, live performances, and the recognition of two honorees.

For Lifelong CEO James Shackleford, the event is both a celebration and a call to action.

“The gala is a celebration of pride, so it’s meant to both celebrate pride and equality — things that Lifelong has stood for during our 43 years — and also talk about the work that we still have ahead of us,” Shackleford told “Seattle’s Morning News.”  “We look at equality through the lens of health access and food access.”

Founded in the early 1980s at the onset of the HIV epidemic, Lifelong — once widely known as the Chicken Soup Brigade — has expanded its mission over four decades to serve people living with a range of severe illnesses. Today, the organization provides medically tailored meals, groceries, and health services across the region.

But demand is outpacing capacity.

1,600 people and counting: The waitlist Lifelong is racing to clear

Shackleford said the organization’s food program currently has a waitlist of roughly 1,600 people — a number that has climbed sharply in recent months.

“When I was here in November, it was closer to 1,000 on the waitlist, and so that number just continues to rise,” he said. “For us, that impact means that the funds that we raise can help us clear the waitlist, can help us serve the community in different ways. And that’s what we’re doing this for.”

The need is amplified by federal pressures on nutrition assistance. Roughly 42 million Americans rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and Shackleford noted that for most of Lifelong’s clients, those benefits alone don’t cover the gap.

“Most of our clients are not only receiving food from Lifelong or our Chicken Soup Brigade, but they’re also on SNAP benefits, they’re also on WIC, they’re also receiving other support across the community,” he said. “If you’re hungry, you need food today. You don’t need to be put on a waitlist and get food three, five, or six months down the road. You need to eat today.”

A portion of proceeds from the gala will benefit Seattle Pride’s youth programming — an area Shackleford said is critical given mental health disparities facing LGBTQ+ young people.

“When you look at feeling safe, when you look at thoughts or ideation around suicide, those rates are really high for young folks in the LGBT community,” he said. “We’re hopeful that through raising money directly for the youth programs, which Lifelong doesn’t have, that partnership is one that continues to thrive.”

Drag stars, Grammy winners, and honorees take the stage at the inaugural gala

The gala will feature performances by drag star Miz Kracker, Grammy-winning singer Macy Gray, and Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters. Television personality Brad Goreski will host. Actress Laverne Cox and philanthropist Chris Olsen will be honored.

Now 10 months into his role as CEO, Shackleford said his early experience in Seattle has reshaped his view of how the organization can grow its impact — and pushed back on a familiar local stereotype.

“You hear, as a new transplant to Seattle, lots of chatter around the Seattle freeze — and there’s no Seattle freeze,” he said. “It’s a genuinely welcoming, warm community, and folks who want to show up and want to support and want to be helpful.”

Beyond the gala, Shackleford said community members can support Lifelong by volunteering in the Chicken Soup Brigade kitchen, packing groceries, or driving meal deliveries.

“There are lots of ways to show up and to support the community through the work that Lifelong does,” he said.

Tickets and additional information are available here.

Manda Factor is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. Follow Manda on X and email her here. 

Follow @MandaFactor