GRASS VALLEY, Calif. August 4, 20226 – During Community Involvement Day on Monday, Brooke Blake and her daughter, Meghan Salter carried bags of donations as they made the rounds to tables inside the Main Street Center, the building at the Nevada County Fairgrounds where a dozen local nonprofit groups were set up.
The day is designed to bring together residents to donate items and support local causes.
“We’ve been doing this together for years. It’s a wonderful opportunity to have all these services in one place,” said Blake, a retired teacher from Union Hill School.
“We see all the good they do. It’s a great way to give back,” said Meghan Salter, who followed in her mother’s footsteps and is also a teacher at Union Hill School.
All afternoon and into the early evening, from 1 to 6 p.m., a steady stream of people carrying bags of donated goods like toiletries and canned food, sometimes with dogs and children in tow, showed up to support organizations working hard to help others.
Yubanet is a proud annual sponsor for the event. At a table near the entrance, the news organization was giving away t-shirts to all the folks who donated goods. Organizations gathered for the event included Sierra Roots, Bright Futures for Youth, InterFaith Food Ministry, Food Bank Nevada County, Grass Valley Foothill Lion’s Club, Nevada County Toy Run, First 5 Nevada County/ Kid’s Corner, Soroptimist International of Grass Valley/ White Barn Project, Nevada City Elks Lodge, Gold Country Senior Services, Vitalant (formerly Blood Source) and Community Beyond Violence. Look for many of these organizations on Treat Street or with activities during this year’s Nevada County Fair, August 12 – 16.
In exchange for their donations, community members received a discount on admission to the county fair through a special “buy one get one ticket” promotion.
“The fair is coming up. It’s always a nice time for families and this is a nice way to make it more affordable for everybody,” said Lindsay, Development and Communications Director for Interfaith Food Ministry. At the group’s table, Blake and Salter stopped by to donate much-needed recycled egg cartons for the organization’s weekly food distribution.
Interfaith Food Ministry
For almost four decades, Interfaith Food Ministry (IFM) has worked to fight food insecurity in Nevada County.
“We provide wholesome supplemental groceries to our neighbors. People having access to food is a basic human need,” said Victoria Lindsay, Development and Communications Director. This is the third year IFM has participated in the event.
“There are so many great organizations here that all work together to help our community. It’s a great way to support organizations and support other people in the community by donating your food, your clean grocery bags, your school supplies, all sorts of great stuff that you can donate to help support wonderful causes right here in our backyard,” said Lindsay.
With a crew of five staff members – two part-time – and more than 300 volunteers, IFM distributes almost two million pounds of food annually, serving thousands of people every month – including school kids and seniors – four days a week.
“It’s a great way to give back to your community and feel like you are part of something,” said Lindsay.
Nevada County Toy Run
People carried new, unwrapped boxes of toys like Legos and Uno card games to the Nevada County Toy Run table. Started 35 years ago with 50 riders, the organization has grown to a thunderous, traffic-stopping parade of upwards of 1,800 bikers. With toys strapped to their motorcycles, the bikers ride from Nevada City to the Fairgrounds to deliver holiday gifts to 2,000 youth ages 0-18 every second week in December. Each year, the ride is organized by a band of dedicated volunteers.
“We’re a small team that works really hard,” said Shannon Buehler of the Nevada County Toy Run. She started watching the Toy Run with her kids in the early days. Her daughter started volunteering as a teen and never stopped.
“It’s an amazing thing. Every dime that comes in goes back to the community”
The group’s mission is to help supplement families during the Christmas season and other times of the year when “money doesn’t go as far as it used to.” Bikers show up rain or shine, even if that means swapping out their bike for a pickup truck to deliver toys. Other times of the year, they raise money to buy shoes for young people and donated 600 pairs this summer during the Ride for Hope.
“The need is out there, for sure,” said Buehler.
Sierra Roots
At the Sierra Roots table, Susan Rice was collecting names on a volunteer sign-up sheet and donations of basics to help the region’s unhoused population.
“We work with people who don’t have homes. A lot of people don’t know we exist,” said Susan Rice, Chair of the Board and acting Executive Director.
Sierra Roots provides about 20 lunches every Thursday and works with Nevada County to provide 30 beds at emergency shelters in Nevada City on dangerously cold nights, October through April. Rice says the nonprofit survives completely on donations.
Monday’s event was a chance to bring in items like sleeping bags, non-dress shoes, socks and non-dress pants. New volunteers are needed to prepare dinners for the coming season. Training will be happening soon.
Providing basic needs like food and clothing and treating people with dignity can make a world of difference in people’s lives, says Rice, a volunteer at the organization for seven years.
“I think it’s key to the survival of a lot of people. We work closely with individuals and help them where they are. We have served some people for years and years.”
Bright Futures for Youth
Nearby, donations were pouring in to Bright Futures for Youth to assist local youth experiencing housing insecurity. Personal care items, household supplies, clothing, food, pet care, outdoor gear and gift cards are always needed.
“We’re trying to get the word out about what we do, what we’re about and share our stories,” said Emily Dunn of the group’s Youth Action Board (YAM).
“We have a few clients living out of their cars right now. A lot of people don’t think of youth homelessness,” said Jo Watson, a Peer Support Specialist. The two are working to create a zine with stories and resources for local youth.
Bright Futures for Youth serves 90 local youth and young adults ages 16 – 24 experiencing housing insecurity. It looks different for everyone and ranges from difficulty paying rent or making ends meet to having no housing at all.
“Youth don’t want that to be what they’re known for. A lot of people don’t think of couch surfing as homeless,” said Watson.
Grass Valley Foothill Lions Club
Ron Gaynor, a charter member of the Grass Valley Foothill Lions Club sat behind a table lined with rows of used eyeglasses.
“We’re happy to be here,” said Gaynor.
The pairs of donated glasses will be sent to Folsom State Prison as part of the Folsom Project for the Visually Impaired. Folsom State Prison inmates clean and refurbish donated eyeglasses for prescription and then package them for shipment to people who need them around the world. The project is said to empower inmates by providing job skills while helping others.
“We focus on serving our communities and, in particular, a major focus is vision and the conservation of vision,” said Gaynor.
First 5 Nevada County/ Kid’s Corner
Melody Easton, Executive Director of First Five Nevada County and her daughter Delilah Easton, age 10, were busy collecting gently used children’s books and cases of bottled water throughout the day. The books and water will be distributed to about 650 families at the Kid’s Corner during the week of the Fair. For 23 years, the Kid’s Corner has provided a quiet out-of-way space for families with younger children.
“The fair can be a bit overstimulating for all of us – the hot, the dusty and the sound. So we’ve got a little space where we’re giving out books, bottled water, we’re doing crafts and we provide information for parents about positive parenting and stuff like that. We’re allowing them to take a second to breathe, away from the overstimulation of the fair,” said Melody Easton. This is the nonprofit’s fifth year at the fair.
Behind the mother and daughter, a life-sized cardboard cutout of Dolly Parton greeted visitors. First 5 is a facilitator of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Since the program launched in Nevada County a year ago, First 5 has helped 1,100 children under the age of 5 sign up to receive more than 10,000 books. The program sends out a new, free book, English or Bilingual, every month to a child until their fifth birthday.
“We just want to build libraries in people’s homes,” said Easton.
Community Beyond Violence
Plastic bags stuffed with brand new bedding, hygiene products, cell phone chargers, duffle bags and craft kits were mounded up next to the Community Beyond Violence welcoming table. It was the third year the organization has participated in Community Involvement Day, collecting items to offer clients entering a safe house.
Last year, Community Beyond Violence received over 2,000 crisis calls for domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking.
“It’s very prevalent in Nevada County. There’s a lot of work to be done,” said Marah Angello DeFlavia, Community Engagement & Volunteer Program Manager.
Many of the attendees of Monday’s event walked into the building intentionally looking for Community Beyond Violence, which runs a 16-bed shelter that is always full with a waiting list. The group always needs cash donations to buy supplies and gift cards not covered by grants. There is always a need for volunteers to operate, with training, a 24-hour crisis line and direct-to-client support.
Soroptimist International of Grass Valley/ White Barn Project
For the past eight years, the Soroptimist International of Grass Valley (SIGV) has played an important role in the County Fair’s agricultural youth community through the White Barn Project, a free clothing exchange for 4-H and FFA families. The project addresses the challenges of outfitting children for the fair by collecting gently used donations of girls and boys white pants and shirts, 4H hats and scarves, FFA jackets, boots and belts. The required dress attire needed for showing animals at the fair can be expensive for families, with white jeans costing $25 to $45.
“This is a way for us to support our ag families and kids,” said Judy East, Past President of SIGV. The group’s role is to help women and children with an emphasis on education. Many agricultural youth use the money earned from selling animals to pay for college.
Community Involvement Day is one of several important donation collection locations in town. During the fair, the White Barn Project is located in the Family Farm area behind Treat Street, offering a storefront where children can come and go to pick up what they need from the lending library.
“Kids can just go and grab what they need and they’re set,” said East. Look for the Soroptimists at the Teriyaki Chicken Bowl booth on Treat Street during the fair.
Gold Country Senior Services
Shari Montez-Esterly, Volunteer Manager for Gold Country Senior Services (GCSS) was on hand collecting snacks, water, treats and office supplies to keep volunteers happy.
“We’re looking to get our name out in the community a little more and letting people know about all the things that we have,” Montez-Esterly. It’s the third year the organization has attended Community Involvement Day.
With 170 volunteers, GCSS is a lifeline for many seniors with programs like Meals on Wheels and the popular Senior Firewood program, providing food and heat for seniors. The Senior Center is a multi-generational hub serving up to 50 lunches a day and an environment for socialization. Anyone is welcome and the interaction helps those impacted by the isolating years of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We need our seniors together. We lost a lot of time these past few years and we’re just getting back to where they can feel comfortable having interaction with people again,” said Montez-Esterly. During the fair, look for them on Treat Street selling salads, wraps and aqua frescas.
The Food Bank of Nevada County
At The Food Bank of Nevada County table, donated boxed and canned food was quickly filling a plastic barrel.
“We’ve been here less than an hour and this bin is already full. It goes a long way,” said Executive Director Brett Bentley.
The USDA-certified Food Bank serves 25,000 individuals a week with distributions throughout the county and also works with community agencies and schools. They are always in need of volunteers and monetary donations.
“For every $1 donated we can stretch that to about $3 or $4 worth of food,” said Bentley. The organization works with community partners like IFM and Sierra Harvest to help those impacted by shifts in government funding like SNAP and CALFRESH.
“We’re looking at data. We want to make sure we understand what is happening in the community and that we are meeting the need,” said Bentley.
Lifelong Nevada County resident, Kortney Ennis stopped to chat as she brought in multiple bags of food donations to the Food Bank, books for First 5 and shampoo for Bright Futures for Youth. She recounted how her own family has supplemented the household’s groceries with food from The Food Bank, but she always finds a way to donate back every year during Community Involvement Day.
“We do this every year. There are so many programs. It’s a way to give back to the community. These guys help us with food,” she said, motioning to The Food Bank. “When there is something we can’t use, we bring it back. We’re all a big family and it takes a village,” said Ennis.
Learn more about becoming a volunteer during the fair: https://www.nevadacountyfair.com/volunteer