Charlize Theron was recognized for her commitment to helping children in need.
(photo courtesy of Getty Images for Baby2Baby)

Baby2Baby, the national non-profit organization that provides basic necessities to children living in poverty, hosted its annual Baby2Baby Gala Presented by Paul Mitchell on Saturday, Nov. 9 at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. The event honored Charlize Theron with the “Giving Tree Award” and featured a special performance by Nelly. The gala was attended by more than 800 guests including Hollywood talent and executives, business leaders and philanthropists who helped raise more than $17 million to support Baby2Baby’s mission. Over the last 13 years, the organization has distributed more than 470 million critical items including diapers, formula and clothing to families in need across the country.

Baby2Baby recognizes a woman each year with the “Giving Tree Award” who utilizes her position in the public eye to advocate on behalf of children in need. Baby2Baby honored Theron for her work as a lifelong champion for vulnerable women and girls around the world.

The award was presented to her by Johnny Knoxville who said, “Charlize, I have always been so impressed with you. You can act, you can produce, you’re a philanthropist and most importantly an incredible mother to two beautiful girls. Charlize is a true renaissance woman if I’ve ever known one, so needless to say it is an honor to be presenting you with the 2024 Giving Tree Award.”

During Theron’s acceptance speech, she said “I’m not sure about all of you but I think we all needed a night like tonight, a night that feels like hope. We all need a little bit of hope … the impact of the work that Baby2Baby is doing, I think all that work really means hope.”

Theron illustrated the parallels between her organization, CTAOP and Baby2Baby.

“At the core of it, what we are talking about is equity, dignity and compassion, because we all could do something that makes the lives better for somebody else out there,” she said.

Baby2Baby is a non-profit organization that provides children living in poverty with diapers, formula, clothing and the basic necessities that every child deserves, serving more than one million children across all 50 states. Led by Co-CEOs Kelly Sawyer Patricof and Norah Weinstein, the organization has distributed over 450 million items over the past 13 years to children in homeless shelters, domestic violence programs, foster care, hospitals and school districts as well as children who have lost everything in the wake of disaster. The organization’s success has been propelled forward by its industry-leading model that is redefining what it means to operate a non-profit with a seamless integration of impact, innovation and influence. To learn more, visit baby2baby.org.