Woodland nonprofits seek support for Big Day of Giving
From nonprofit organizations feeding local families and seniors to those ensuring local women have access to the education and training necessary to achieve economic empowerment, Woodland has no shortage of organizations looking for donations during this…
From nonprofit organizations feeding local families and seniors to those ensuring local women have access to the education and training necessary to achieve economic empowerment, Woodland has no shortage of organizations looking for donations during this year's Big Day of Giving Thursday, May 2.
In fact, most of these organizations, like the Woodland Food Closet, are already accepting donations so that they can meet the goals they've set this year.
"The Woodland Food Closet has a very specific mission, which is to get nutritious food to anyone facing food insecurity," Tania Garcia-Cadena, Woodland mayor and executive director for the nonprofit, said in an email. "Woodland has the highest percentage of food insecure residents in Yolo County and we work to ensure that nobody goes hungry in our community."
Woodland Mayor Tania Garcia-Cadena Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024, at the Woodland Food Closet located at 420 Grand Ave. Garcia-Cadena also serves as the food closet's executive director. (Gerardo Zavala/Daily Democrat)
Garcia-Cadena explained that the food closet is dependent on support from donors and grant providers noting that it packed groceries for over 60,000 meals last year.
"Monetary donations are used to run the facility operations and purchase food from a variety of sources," she stated. "We accept non-perishable food donations as well. Over 600 individuals visit the food closet on a monthly basis and each receives three days' worth of groceries."
The food closet is open to the public 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 420 Grand Ave.
Similarly, Meals on Wheels Yolo County is looking for donations to meet its goals of nourishing all Yolo County seniors in need of assistance.
Joy Cohan, executive director for Meals on Wheels Yolo County, explained in an email that her nonprofit organization is the only provider of fully-prepared meals for food-insecure and isolated seniors in the county.
(From left) Meals on Wheels Yolo County chefs Kathy French, Liz Lorenz, Michele Long and Deb Gallagher prepare an orange chicken with rice, stir-fried vegetables and a fortune cookie meal Thursday, May 4, 2023, in Woodland. (Gerardo Zavala/Daily Democrat)
"While the organization has grown dramatically in recent years and now consistently serves nearly 1,000 aging adults, the 2020 Census and Yolo Food Bank's recent food security survey point to more than 8,000 seniors countywide struggling to stay nourished," Cohan pointed out. "These meals and the social contact experienced with doorstep delivery or a group dining setting provide a lifeline to vulnerable elders allowing them to age in place longer and with healthier outcomes.
"Nourishing consistently more of them, especially in rural communities and underserved neighborhoods, is critical as the emerging 'Silver Tsunami' is anticipated to result in more seniors than children in our county over the next five to six years."
Cohan noted that funds earned from the Big Day of Giving will go towards the "Eat Well, Age Well" phase of the nonprofit's Operation Accelerate initiative, which will "make possible more fresh and local meal ingredients, expansion of medically-tailored meal options, expanded 'Cafe Yolo' social dining locations and more rural meals access."
"Every [Big Day of Giving] investment in Meals on Wheels Yolo means more local seniors will 'Eat Well, Age Well,'" Cohan stressed. "With our mission 85% dependent upon their generosity, they are the difference between nutrition and an empty plate for a senior and the opportunity for friendly conversation or another bleak day with no one to talk with. We're grateful for every donor who believes in our mission to nourish and engage seniors in their neighborhood as much as we do."
Furthermore, Soroptimist International of Woodland – a local volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment – is looking for donations to fund its programs and scholarships.
"First founded by a group of 80 women in Oakland… in 1921, Soroptimist is now an organization of more than 100,000 members with more than 3,000 clubs in 125 countries and territories around the world," the nonprofit organization's website explained. "Every day throughout the world, Sorptimists continue their work to achieve the 'best for women' in every sphere of their lives."
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