Pink lit up the stage for No Kid Hungry’s first in-person dinner event since before the pandemic on Thursday evening. As part of the festivities, Pink delivered an intimate performance to the “most empathetic crowd of people,” along with giving an acceptance speech as the organization’s national champion.
The honor was bestowed upon the pop singer and philanthropist by actor Jeff Bridges, a No Kid Hungry spokesperson, for her commitment and contributions to help advance No Kid Hungry’s national campaign to end childhood hunger in America.
“I like helping people. Growing up, I wanted to be a social worker and I feel like I’m a blend — a singer, social worker,” Pink told Variety ahead of her appearance. “I grew up with no money. My mom was an ER nurse, and my dad was an insurance salesman. It was hard at times and I don’t know anybody on this earth that hasn’t needed help at one time or another. And if you can help, you should.”
Honoree Alecia Moore poses with Jeff Bridges at the No Kid Hungry 2023 Los Angeles Dinner Gala.
Tyler Curtis/ABImages
Pink’s work with No Kid Hungry dates back to 2013, when she and Billy Shore, the founder and CEO of Share Our Strength, the parent organization of No Kid Hungry, first crossed paths.
“I had learned about the organization through the doc ‘A Place at the Table,’ and I called Billy — one of the most passionate, kind, thoughtful, intentional men walking the planet — and I was so in awe,” Pink says. “I remember I said, ‘You need to come and talk to me, I want to talk to you about this.’ I had just had a baby at the time and I just remember thinking I wanted to do whatever I could to help. They’re changing laws and they’re changing the way kids get access to food.”
The organization supported Pink’s 2017 “Beautiful Trauma World Tour” with informational activations that encouraged concert-goers to get involved by donating or educating themselves on the topic of food insecurity.
“Our organization was built on the belief that everyone has a strength to share,” commented Shore. “Alecia is a wonderful example of that: sharing information about No Kid Hungry on tour stops, inspiring her network to get involved on social media, riding her bike 100 miles to raise funds, and even performing for us tonight. Pink fans are in every city, town and suburb across the country, and so is the issue of hunger. It takes all of us. We’re honored to call Alecia a friend and true champion of this work, and very proud to recognize her outstanding contributions to help make No Kid Hungry a reality.”
The charity will once again appear at stops across North America on Pink’s two upcoming treks. Dubbed the Summer Carnival Tour, Pink will be joined by either Brandi Carlile or Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo for different stadium dates across 21 cities in such venues as L.A’s SoFi Stadium, New York’s Citi Field, Chicago’s Wrigley Field and Boston’s Fenway Park. Grouplove and KidCutUp will make appearances on all tour dates. The jaunt starts July 24 in Toronto and wraps in October before picking back up again a week later as the “Trustfall” tour for 14 additional arena dates.
Pink previously told Variety that her production team had been hard at work finding ways to make the most of her signature aerial performances in open-air venues. But having the advantage of gracing both arena and stadium stages has granted her the best of both worlds.
“Unfortunately, you can’t do in an arena what you can do in a stadium, but also you can’t do in a stadium, what you can do in an arena,” she says. “So soon as it gets cold, we go indoors, and it gets smaller. So it’s a completely different animal. Stadiums, even, especially in Europe, in the summertime, it doesn’t get dark until much later in the evening so you can expect more of a festival feel. When you go indoors, you can do so much more with lights and also hang from so many more things. It sounds silly but after being in a stadium, arenas can feel really intimate.”
While No Kid Hungry dinner guests enjoyed their desert (a strawberry fromage blanc tartlet, courtesy of chefs Claudia Fleming, Mindy Segal, And Sherry Yard) Pink belted through stripped-back renditions of fan favorites like “What About Us” and “Fuckin’ Perfect,” accompanied by Justin Derrico on acoustic guitar.
Other honorees recognized at the No Kid Hungry event included chef, author, food activist, and founder of Chez Panisse Alice Waters; pastry chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author Sherry Yard; and Williams Sonoma, Inc.