Homeward Bound hosts inaugural Toast! event at Scottsdale venue

$300,000 goal set to support longtime objective of ending homelessness

Homeward Bound, a Phoenix-based nonprofit dedicated to providing families experiencing homelessness a pathway out of property, hosted its inaugural Toast! event on Oct. 17, at The Clayton House in Old Town Scottsdale.

Attendees enjoyed wine and spirits tastings, local shopping vendors, brunch, and a live cocktail competition.

“We are thrilled to launch our Toast! event as a reinvention of the beloved Old Bags Luncheon,” said Whitney Silence, Homeward Bound CEO. “Brunch, beverages, and shopping; all to support our most vulnerable neighbors. I can’t think of a better way to spend the day!”

Tastings included Grand Canyon Brewery, Crook & Marker, Rune Wine and AZ wineries. UrbAna, Sage Femme, Metalmark Jewelers, Kendra Scott, Redemption Market and Goodness Candles, as well as local artists and small business who set up shop and give a percentage of their sales back to the cause.

Pictured: Event photos from Toast! on Oct. 17. (Submitted photos)

During the featured cocktail competition, local mixologists competed for $500 by mixing the best rum cocktail. The cocktails were then auctioned off with a package experience to raise money for the homeless families of Homeward Bound.

The goal is to raise $300,000 to support Homeward Bound’s 30th anniversary in operation. Homeward Bound’s programming includes services for adults such as sobriety support and emergency food pantries, youth services including homework help and intramural sports, workplace development training, homeless prevention services and an emergency housing program.

Toast! was sponsored by UrbAna, Lovitt & Touche, Timeless, Fiesta Bowl, Sentry Insurance, SRP, Grand Canyon Brewery & Distillery, Snell & Wilmer Law, The Phoenix Suns and The James Agency.

Homeward Bound has been serving the needs of homeless families since 1990 with a focus on keeping families together, providing the tools needed to get off the streets, and into their own homes, according to a press release.