Ways to serve your community, from donating to volunteering to just showing up
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Volunteer Days at Petaluma Bounty Farm
Petaluma nonprofit helps hungry locals get healthy food
WHAT’S HAPPENING? “Come spend time on our beautiful farm while helping to feed the community,” invites the staff of Petaluma’s Bounty Farm. On Saturdays and Wednesdays, from 9 a.m. to noon, volunteers are welcome to drop in and help out with all the various tasks needed to operate a bustling urban farm.
WHO DOES IT HELP? Formed in summer 2006 as a result of a Community Needs Assessment with initial seed funding from the Hub of Petaluma Foundation, Petaluma Bounty’s mission is to create a thriving local food system with healthy food for everyone through collaboration, education and promoting self-reliance.
WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW? Bounty Farm is at 55 Shasta Ave., in Petaluma, just off Petaluma Boulevard near The Boulevard Cafe. Find out more at PetalumaBounty.org.
Uncorking Miracles
Fundraiser to end childhood blindness
WHAT’S HAPPENING? On Thursday, Aug. 14, from 6-7:30 p.m. at Brooks-Note Winery, the owners are holding their second annual fundraiser to fight childhood blindness. For $30, the event will feature excellent food and wine, silent auction items, and more.
“Learn about the global impact and groundbreaking research they are funding to preserve and restore children’s sight,” states the description on the event’s social media page. “Together, let’s raise awareness, funds and spirits to create a world where no child suffers from preventable blindness.”
WHO DOES IT HELP? Save Sight Now is an organization dedicated to curing childhood blindness by Usher Syndrome 1B, the leading cause of combined deaf-blindness.
WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW? Brooks-Note Winery is at 426 Petaluma Blvd. N. For information reach out to carol.england@comcast.net.
Queer Soup Night
A benefit for Sonoma Family Meal and Amor Para Todos
WHAT’S HAPPENING? Queer Soup Night (QSN) Sonoma County is a new monthly event in which gourmet-level soups is created by top local chefs, with proceeds benefitting different LGBTQ+ nonprofits in the area. The August 15 event will take place from 5-8 p.m. at Lunchette in downtown Petaluma. Chef Naomi Crawford of Lunchette and Chef Cece Illingwoth will be cooking up the soups. Cute Coffee will also be the premises bringing snacks and music.
WHO DOES IT HELP? Sonoma Family Meal offers free culinary job training and food-security programs. Amor Para Todos (APT) is a community-led organization whose mission is to join with schools and communities in an innovative, intersectional approach to cultivate more gender and LGBTQIA+ affirming environments for our youth.
WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW? There will be a sliding scale at the door $10-$40), but you can pre-purchase your ticket on Eventbrite. No one turned away for lack of funds. This is a BYOS (Bring Your Own Spoon) event.
Petaluma Arts Center’s ‘Create Our Future’
A year-long campaign to fund expansion and future programs
WHAT’S HAPPENING? With the goal of raising $300,000 between now and New Year’s Eve of this year, the leadership of the nonprofit Petaluma Arts Center has launched its 2025 fundraising campaign, dubbed “ Create Our Future.”
WHO DOES IT HELP? The money raised will allow the 27-year-old arts center – which only a fraction of Petaluma’s population claim to ever have visited, despite its close proximity to the SMART station and downtown Petaluma – to expand programs and hours. With increased funds in the bank, the center plans to continue its mission to reach under-served youth and elders, and establish even more effective ways to promote and support local artists, all while attracting more visitors to Petaluma..
WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW? According to board president Llisa Demetrios, the campaign has been designed to offer the community several ways to become involved, including through special events, such as the upcoming wine barrel painting program and auction, a gala in the fall, and a final, end-of-the-year fundraising effort. Beginning now. Donations can be taken on the center’s recently upgraded website: Petalumaartscenter.org/give.
David Templeton is the Community and Arts & Entertainment Editor of the Petaluma Argus-Courier. You can reach him at david.templeton@arguscourier.com.