5 Nonprofits To Get Behind In Healdsburg, North Bay

HEALDSBURG, CA — Nonprofit groups are keystone community organizations in the Healdsburg area.

Fortunately, there is no shortage of organizations to volunteer or get behind financially, and that need your help.

Here are five outstanding nonprofit groups you should know about in Healdsburg and the North Bay:

1. Healdsburg Future Farmers Country Fair is a "small town tradition" that has been supporting youth and agriculture in Healdsburg since 1950. The parade and fair are typically held the last weekend in May and provide an opportunity for local students to exhibit projects they working on all year long in their 4-H and FFA clubs. The organization gives away thousands of dollars each year in scholarships to high school seniors and returning college students. An auction helps fund the scholarships, and donations are always accepted. The HFFCF Board of Directors is made up of 24 volunteers who dedicate their time to ensuring the fair and all of its community activities run smoothly.

2. Corazón Healdsburg operates a bilingual family resource center where it works with hundreds of low-income families from the communities of Healdsburg, Windsor, Cloverdale and Geyserville on overcoming cycles of poverty and becoming self-sustainable and self-reliant. The people and families it supports are 100 percent low-income, 95 percent are Latin American and approximately 75 percent are monolingual Spanish speakers. Corazón provides family-centered coaching, direct financial assistance, wrap-around services and referrals to partner agencies. Volunteers are sought for food box distribution and diaper distribution; monetary donations can be made online on a one-time, monthly or annual basis.

3. Redwood Empire Food Bank has over 350 monthly food distribution sites in five counties: Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte. Within these sites, Redwood Empire Food Bank operates 11 innovative programs under three strategic hunger relief initiatives: Every Child Every Day providing food to 33,000 at-risk children; Senior Security, providing food to 13,000 low-income seniors; and Neighborhood Hunger Network, providing groceries to 117,000 individuals. Residents wishing to help can donate their time as a volunteer or make a food or monetary donation. "It's not one or the other — we need all of it. Every dollar, every minute and every food donation makes a difference." Visit Refb.org/ways-to-give/ for more information.

4. The Salvation Army has North Bay locations in Santa Rosa, Napa and Petaluma. The international organization is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church and strives to meet needs without discrimination. The Santa Rosa location offers multiple social services, including food boxes, emergency shelter, transitional housing and more. It also helps out in times of natural disaster, such as the North Bay fires of 2017. Currently, the greatest need at the Santa Rosa Corps Community Center, 93 Stony Circle in Santa Rosa, is non-perishable food items. Call 707-542-0981 to find out how to help fill the need. See local volunteer opportunities here or set up a one-time or monthly monetary donation through the organization's website.

5. Fire Safe Sonoma has been serving Sonoma County for more than 25 years. The nonprofit educates residents about wildfire prevention, takes on large-scale fuel reduction projects, and created the first chipper program in the county. The organization also acts as a liaison between local communities and agencies and seeks grant funding for wildfire safety-related projects. Donations can be made online and the nonprofit is always in need of volunteers.

This content is brought to our community in partnership with T-Mobile.