Saks raises 1.7 million for mental health initiatives

The Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation hosted a cocktail fundraiser to honour its commitment to mental health support, raising over 1.7 million dollars to support the Foundation’s mission to prioritise mental health throughout communities.

“It is no secret that the past year and a half have posed unprecedented challenges on the physical, emotional and mental well-being of our communities,” said Richard Baker, executive chairman of Saks and president of the Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation, in a statement.

He continued: “With this latest funding, we are well-positioned to support our nonprofit partners that are directly delivering mental health services to those in need. We are grateful to the many partners who make our efforts possible through their generous donations and look forward to continuing this important work for many years to come.”

The funding will go towards increasing the understanding of mental health, as well as improving access to care, building protective factors and reaching strongly affected communities.

According to the organisation, the Foundation has donated more than 4.5 million dollars, since its founding in 2017, to US mental health initiatives.

Guests at the event were treated to a live performance by Grammy-winning artist Patti LaBelle, with Richard Barker, and Saks CEO, Marc Metrick, present to host for the evening. Contributions came from key members of the organisation’s vendor community, including Klarna, American Express and Capital One.