Making for Good

Building Community Through Food

The Hunger Coalition - Blaine County, Idaho

“The wonderful thing about the Hunger Coalition is that we are able to swiftly and thoughtfully respond to the needs of the community.” - Naomi Spence

Blaine County, Idaho, was one of the first small communities to be affected by COVID-19 in the US. Studies have shown that 23% of the population was exposed to the virus since it first hit in early March, and as an area with a large income disparity, many people have been left without integral resources. Thankfully, The Hunger Coalition, a non-profit and food-relief organization that has been serving Blaine County since 2003, was able to continue to provide hundreds of families with free healthy meals per week.

“Our main goal is to build community through food.” - Sloan Storey

Building community comes in many forms for The Hunger Coalition. Not only does the organization include local families, staff, and volunteers, it also connects local farms to members of the community. Through the Hunger Coalition’s Bloom Farm, participants are able to collaborate and learn about growing and cultivating fresh foods.

On a daily basis, there will be volunteer sessions in trade for fresh veggies on the Bloom Farm, free lunches to kids in isolated neighborhoods from the Bloom Truck, and twice weekly distribution days from the healthy food pantry in Bellevue, Idaho. The Hunger Coalition has seen their numbers quadruple since the start of the pandemic, and their hard working staff has been on the frontlines daily helping serve those in need.

Hunger Coalition Links: Website  |  Instagram  |  Facebook

Snowboard Factory Makes Face Shields for the Frontline

With uncertain times come unpredictable innovations and adaptations. Making the most with what you have on-hand and helping people in the process is an asset of pure selflessness. Klemens Branner, co-owner of Venture Snowboards, located in rugged Silverton, Colorado, is just this kind of person. Venture was founded in 1999, beginning their lifelong pursuit of crafting unrivaled snowboards for maximum mountain enjoyment and performance. Every Venture is handcrafted by snowboarders in their Silverton, Colorado, factory and tested in some of the most demanding terrains in the lower 48.

When this tiny mountain town consisting of 500 year-round residents isolated themselves from the outside world due to Covid-19, Klem decided to do what he does best and create something with his hands that will help protect frontline health care workers from the virus. Klem switched gears from handcrafting snowboards to manufacturing face shields basically overnight. His small but important contribution is an example of how people are responding to this pandemic in a positive and creative way.

How an Urban Farm Grew in a Skatepark

Usually cement and plants are like mixing oil with water, but co-founders Rob Cahill and Mike Crum of 4DWN Skate Park, did just that. During the COVID-19 shutdown, they saw an opportunity to bring urban farming to their non-profit community skate park that fosters growth and opportunity for youth in the community. While 4DWN is expanding its ramps, it’s also partnering with Restorative Farms to use on-site materials to build a functioning urban farm on the new vertical ramp, the courtyard and other parts of the skatepark.

Why build an urban farm here?

ROB: As we've gotten more active in the community, we've come to find out that we're in the middle of what they call a “food desert,” which is an area that doesn't have access to fresh healthy food. And here we are in South Dallas, that's right in the middle of all that, right. So, it made sense to us to integrate urban farming into our skate park. Why not? It's just a cool thing to do, kind of a rebellious thing to do. To me, it goes perfect with skateboarding.

MIKE: On a normal day, usually this place would be packed with families and skaters. But during the pandemic, we're just using this time to make the place even better.

Who else is helping?

ROB: We've asked the help of some local organizations that are experts in urban farming, one of them is called Restorative Farms. They ended up needing our help and we're happy to because we're partnering with them to use this soil and those pallets and a lot of the other items around here actually, to produce 240 grow boxes for the community.

Learn more about 4DWN Project located in South Dallas and how it’s working with youth to educate and feed a community. Find out about GroBoxes at Restorative Farms, a self-sustaining, nonprofit, farm.

Nurses Week with Tessa Moeller

Tessa Moeller is a trauma nurse & artist currently living in Miami, FL. After working her long shifts, she often comes home and creates her works of art.

“I wanted to become a nurse because I wanted to be part of something greater than myself. Painting is a very solo profession, and I wanted to be able to focus on something outside of my own head and help people. I had focused solely on painting for most of my life and I didn’t know if I was able to make the transition into nursing. But once I got started, I knew that I had made the right decision and it was something that I was naturally good at.”

Recently, Tessa has been inspired by her coworkers and the challenges they face with COVID-19. Her current series is titled, Portraits of COVID-19. She hopes to inspire her community to keep going.

When did you get interested in Art?

TESSA: I have been interested in art for my entire life. My father is a professional artist and had an in home studio, so I was exposed to it early on.

What is your after-work routine?

TESSA: After work I come home, sanitize everything (shoes, pens, etc) for the second time, shower, and have something to eat and then often paint into the night!

What has been the most rewarding part of being a nurse?

TESSA: The most rewarding part of being a nurse is watching patients who came in severely injured become well enough to go home. This was especially true on the burn unit, where patients would stay for months at a time.

EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES. CHANGING LIVES.

The National Urban League (NUL) is a historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization with 90 affiliates serving 300 communities. The NUL provides direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than two million people nationwide. The organization also understands that the number one challenge facing 80% of small business owners is a lack of capital and cash flow. To help, they started the Entrepreneurship Center program in 2006, and since then, have counseled, mentored, and trained over 60,000 businesses. The Dickies donation to NUL’s Entrepreneurship Center will support in the fight for equality, and also uplift Black-owned businesses and workers.

To help Black Americans and others in underserved communities achieve their highest true social parity, economic self-reliance, power, and civil rights, the League promotes economic empowerment through education and job training, housing and community development, workforce development, entrepreneurship, health, and quality of life.

Donate to National Urban League

Learn About Our Donation →

A COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES SUPPORT, OPPORTUNITY AND ADVOCACY FOR NYC SKATEBOARDERS.

“Founded in 2007 in memory of legendary NYC skateboarder, Harold Hunter, HHF is a grassroots, skateboard community-based organization whose mission is to use skateboarding as a vehicle to provide underserved urban youth with valuable life experiences that nurture individual creativity, resourcefulness, and the development of life skills. We advance our mission by leveraging credible messengers to develop authentic relationships, provide case management, mentorship, and peer counseling; and connecting youth/young adult (age 14-30) skateboarders with instrumental support, resources, and opportunities for experiential education/workforce readiness, so they can achieve educational, occupational, and personal success.” Jessica Forsyth, Executive Director of HHF

Donate to Harold Hunter Foundation

Learn About Our Donation →

Fabulous Fort Worth Brought to You by Dickies

In 1922, Dickies began as a hopeful, hardworking small business in the community of Ft. Worth, Texas. Nearly 100 years later, our respect for fellow small business neighbors in our hometown still holds strong.

Recently, Dickies partnered with a few local makers and purchased some of their best, locally-produced gift items. Items in the collection include; Heim BBQ Sauce, Craftwood Coffee, Winton and Waits Bath Salts, Rahr Brewery/Mrs. Renfro’s Salsa, a TX Whiskey Candle and a Fort Worth Coffee Mug.

This collection of goodies has been sent out to Dickies partners to support local makers during these challenging times and to share our love for Fort Worth.

GOOD WORKS.

Join Dickies and Triple your support for COVID-19 Relief

Dickies is part of the VF Family of Brands. Join VF and the VF Foundation to fight COVID-19 and aid relief efforts around the world. The foundation has pledged $1.5M and will also match your donations 2-to-1 to the GlobalGiving Coronavirus Relief Fund (up to an additional $500,000) to amplify our collective impact.

Your donation will directly support communities impacted by the pandemic. Together, we can be a force for good.

Donate at GlobalGiving

Living Rooms turn into Giving Rooms

When COVID-19 pulled the plug on live gigs, art commissions and film projects within the Ft. Worth creative community, that’s when famous honkytonk Billy Bob’s Texas made history yet again by turning it’s 39th anniversary party into a Facebook watch party—a live benefit concert last month to support the Creative Industry Relief Fund supported by United Way of Tarrant County, Hear Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Film Commission.

The streaming event garnered over 25,000 unique views, showing support and solidarity for the cause. We rallied in support from our living rooms, too, because we know how important it is for creatives to create—especially amidst uncertain times.

“So much of the vibrancy of Fort Worth comes from the makers and shapers of our creative community,” said Craig Errington, Vice President of Marketing, Dickies. “In these challenging times, with events and performances being canceled across the globe to ensure our communities are safe, innovative platforms and fundraising efforts like this are key to keep the creative community moving forward.”

So far, over $20,000 has been raised to support 83 individual grants given to music, film and visual arts professionals, including a corporate donation from Dickies. ICYMI, you can watch the show featuring our proudly local line-up. Donations are still open, and they’d certainly appreciate one from you, if you’re able.