We at the Davis Food Co-op know that the success of our business depends on the well-being of the communities that support us. That's one of the reasons why we sponsor local and cooperative organizations, nonprofits, and events that are doing good work in our community. It's our way saying thanks to our neighbors for keeping our community healthy and our business strong!
Here are some of the groups/events/fundraisers we've sponsored in our community lately:
Food Security Organizations
We hosted our fourth annual Souper Bowl Benefit for Elderly Nutrition at the Veterans Memorial Center and raised $3089 for Meals on Wheels. We support the Davis Farm to School Foundation with an annual gift, and also sponsored the Farm to School Benefit Concert presented by the Pepper Peddler at Odd Fellows Hall in February. We helped to support the fledgling UC Davis organization aimed at curbing student hunger, ASUCD's The Pantry, which is now going strong. We have an ongoing partnership with the Food Bank of Yolo County, collecting donations at our cash registers daily.
We've also sponsored conferences and organizations that are working to improve the sustainability of food production, including the The California Coooperative Leadership Conference. The California Student Sustainability Coalition Spring Convergence at UCD, a guest lecture from Food First's Eric Holt-Gimenez at the UCD Seminar on Alternatives in Agriculture, and the UCD East Quad Farmers Market have all been recipients of DFC sponsorship funds this year.
Bikes!
We sponsored Davis Bike Collective's Bici Bici/Bike Bike Conference, and will support the Clips of Faith Tour when it comes to Davis July 22nd (tomorrow!) in support of Davis Bicycles! and the Davis Bike Collective.
Schools and Education
We sponsor local schools and their fundraisers, including the Davis Bridge Educational Foundation's Salsa Night, Willett Elementary's Fun Run, Davis Waldorf School's May Faire, the Woodland Parent Nursery School Auction, Montgomery Elementary Auction, Birch Lane PTA Spring Fling, and for the first time this year, Music Only Makes Sense's Davis Music Festival, a fundraiser for the Davis Schools Arts Foundation.
Cultural Events
To honor the richness of cultural diversity in our community, we've sponsored a number of cultural events, including the Funbichoco Cena para las mujeres , India Association of Davis' Diwali Night Program , ISCAO's Norouz, and the Mga Kapatid Pilipino Culture Night.
This summer in Davis
One Davis institution that we are very pleased to sponsor is the Davis Farmers Market Wednesday Picnic in the Park; check out that link for the great lineup of music they've got all summer long! In support of one of our downtown neighbor business' fundraiser for the Will Rogers Institute, we've co-sponsored Regal Cinema's Summer Movie Express, a summer-long festival of family movies for just $1. We're also supporting DDBA's Summer Music Series at E Street Plaza during this summer's 2nd Friday ArtAbouts.
Upcoming community events that we are sponsoring include Slow Food Yolo's benefit for Davis Farm to School, the Village Feast; Davis Art Center's Junk 2 Genius, Tuleyome's Youth Outdoor Exploration Program, and Yolo Land Trust's A Day in the Country.
Another project we're very proud to sponsor is Food for Change, a work-in-progress documentary about food co-ops, local economies, and food security. Food for Change is still looking for funding partners to help them finish work on the film in time for a 2012 release (the United Nations has declared 2012 as the International Year of the Co-op). We're really invested in seeing this movie made, as we expect it to be an excellent tool for educating folks about the power of co-ops to change our broken food system; if you want to share the word about co-ops, and can help, please follow the link and donate.
Everyday Heroes at the Davis Food Co-op
The truth is, we put a lot of effort into giving back to the community, but sometimes it's the smallest things we do that make the biggest impact. Today a letter to the editor in the Davis Enterprise really showed me how much of a difference we're making in people's lives, and how we really are more than just a grocery store. It really makes me proud to be a part of the Davis Food Co-op!
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