Overview

• Monday’s event at the Boston Harbor Hotel featured live cooking demonstrations, plated multi-course meals, a cocktail hour, and a VIP afterparty.
• Organizers set a goal of raising more than $1.5 million to aid families nationwide, with proceeds directed to the nonprofit Family Reach.
• Family Reach focuses on non-medical essentials such as food, housing, transportation, and utilities that insurance typically does not cover, its CEO said.
• Matt Damon cited his father’s 2017 death from blood cancer in explaining his support for the effort.
• A Dana-Farber–referred family said Family Reach subsidized their rent for a year during treatment, and longtime sponsor Ming Tsai has helped raise more than $13 million for the cause.