Patch Picks: Great Edina Nonprofits

Welcome back to Patch Picks, our weekly feature that highlights editor and reader picks of great local businesses, destinations, services, organizations, ways to spend a day off and much more.  

You’ll find useful lists to help you, your family, friends and significant others find the best places for everything from Sunday brunch to New Year’s Eve celebrations, pumpkin patches, date night destinations, florists, girlfriend nights out, kids party places, parks and more.

This week we're trying to look at those giving back to the local community by highlighting a few Edina charities truly making a difference.

Patch Picks: Great Edina Nonprofits

• Edina Community Foundation: For more than 30 years, the Edina Community Foundation has worked tirelessly to make the city a better place for anyone living, working in or visiting. The group provides support to a number of independent community groups, working to build a better and stronger Edina in the process.

• : Since its formation in 1995, the Edina Education Fund has worked to support Edina students both through grants and district-wide initiatives. The Ed Fund works in conjunction with the district to oversee a wide array of educational projects.

• VEAP (Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People): Technically located in Bloomington, but the fantastic work the VEAP food shelf does crosses the boundary lines into Edina and numerous other neighboring communities pretty regularly.

• Taste of the NFL: Conceived by local restauranteur Wayne Kostroski in 1992, Taste of the NFL rallies top chefs and NFL legends to raise money in support of food banks throughout the U.S. This year's 20th Annual "Party with a Purpose" — held every Super Bowl weekend — raised $1 million alone.
  

• Edina Rotary Club: As with just about every other Rotary Club around the world, the Edina group aims to provide humanitarian service and promote the motto of "Service above Self." The Edina membership has raised an annual average of more than $50,000 in donations over the last few years.