May Charity of the Month: The Growing Project
Charity of the Month: The Growing Project
9 years ago, a young woman working on her Masters Degree at CSU approached us with an idea: what if we were able to provide healthy, sustainable food for impoverished people living in “food deserts.” Food deserts are defined as parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods, usually found in impoverished areas. This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers. The Growing Project was aspiring to provide Fort Collins the perfect way to endow our community with fresh produce and help insure healthy soil systems which lead to a healthy watershed, and beer made from the best water! We are so proud that we were able to contribute the first ever monetary donation to this amazing agency and have supported its success ever since.
The Growing Project has achieved a permanent home out at Hope Farms and continues to engage our community by utilizing property to grow healthy food, free farmers’ markets/stands to distribute the food to those in need, classes on agriculture and education for food preparation.
On Tuesday, May 2nd, we will host a fundraiser in our tap room for The Growing Project. Please join us at 7:00pm and learn from the farmers, gardeners and committed TGP fans what this group is really all about!
Learn more about their programming.
TIP JAR: The FoCo Cafe
Following the lead of Brad and Libby of the SAME Cafe in Denver, Jeff and Kathleen have created FoCo Cafe for Fort Collins: a space to serve food to folks from every walk of life where they feel like they belong, the food, albeit healthy and delicious, almost feels secondary to the ambience in the FoCo Cafe. As a patron, you are given the opportunity to pay what you can, volunteer to be fed or pay it forward (paying what you think is a fair price for your lunch and contributing a little extra for those in need. The food is fresh and tasty, sourced as locally as possible and most is provided through donations from local farmers, The Food Coop, Sprouts and Wholefoods. Through Jeff’s creative touch, he turns these piece-meal offerings into delicious fare not to be missed! On the BEST days, you can even find 90 Shilling Green Chile and at one point he made a cheddar soup with our Loose Leaf, Session Ale; YUM! Please join them for the most pleasant meal in town at 225 Maple Street.
April Charity of the Month: Poudre Valley Community Farms
Poudre Valley Community Farms
Please join us at the tap room this month to help us support our community partner, Poudre Valley Community Farms. Poudre Valley Communuty Farms is, at its core, a land cooperative. By harnessing the power of member-owner investment and combining it with creative financing techniques such as conservation easements and community partnerships the cooperative buys and owns farmland. The cooperative leases long-term to local farmers and ranchers at competitive market rates.
The vehicle for achieving PVCF’s mission is a multi-stakeholder cooperative. First, let’s consider the more familiar but less important parts of PVCF. Think of a traditional consumer cooperative, like a food co-op, where consumers pool their buying power to purchase products at better prices. Now think of a traditional producer cooperative, like most farmers’ cooperatives, that pool buying power and access to distributors and consumers to benefit the producer. Now put the two together and you have an understanding of the LESS important parts of PVCF.
Now consider the third, and MOST important, part of the PVCF cooperative model. The consumers and the producers contribute capital through their membership dues which is used to purchase farmland. The long-term access to farmland to produce food is the key to this land cooperative model.
TIP JAR: Loveland Youth Gardeners
Our committee has chosen Loveland Youth Gardeners as the April Tip Jar Partner. Through the month of April, 100% of of our taproom gratuity is donated to this organization.
Loveland Youth Gardeners is a non-profit dedicated to cultivating job & life skills, environmental stewardship and service in youth facing barriers by building healthy relationships with people, agriculture, and community. Loveland Youth Gardeners has been serving our community since 1996 and offers Youth Education Programs for ages 5-21. Most of the programs focus on at-risk and special needs students in the Loveland community. They also sponsor Loveland Plant a Row for the Hungry, which provides fresh produce for low-income residents.
March Charity of the Month: Partners Mentoring Youth
Partners Mentoring Youth
Please join us in the tap room this month as we partner with Partners Mentoring Youth. Partners Mentoring Youth works with community partners to identify youth who need extra support in their community or school, while also seeking caring adults to volunteer as mentors. We create intentional partnerships based on need, shared interests, logistical preferences, and common values. Their mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships between positive adult role models and youth facing challenges in their personal, social, and academic lives.
Proceeds from every Taster Tray sold, for the whole month of March, will help fund the donation to Partners Mentoring Youth. You can also directly support and volunteer with the organization here.
The Jacob Center
Our committee has chosen The Jacob Center as the March Tip Jar Partner. Through the month of March, 100% of of our taproom gratuity is donated to this organization.
The Jacob Center is a private non-profit youth and family service agency founded in 1988 by three social workers. The center works with youth, families, and the community to inspire positive and lasting change. They offer a variety of programs and services such as, respite care, family therapy, and youth coaching.
Learn more and give to The Jacob Center by contacting them here.
