The adage ‘Think Globally; Act Locally’ is particularly apt when applied to giving. Giving your time, talent and treasure to our neighborhood non-profits benefits our community, as well as the larger world.
Today, many people will be looking towards giving, either for gifts or as an end-of-year gesture, and it is good to remember some of the great non-profits we have in Fremont:
- Nalanda West, a meditation and events center run by the Nalandabodhi Buddhist Community, is currently raising money to replace the roof on the converted church they occupy. Part of being able to offer the use of their facilities to our community is having a safe, secure and well-maintained building. Places like Nalanda West, that allow our community to gather, are so important to us all. Find out more about Nalanda West, and the classes and events coming up there, by visiting their website (click here.)
- Woodland Park Zoo enlightens and educates children and adults from all over our city, county and region. Giving to the Zoo benefits our human community, as well as the animals in the Zoo’s care. This year, the Zoo has focused giving on the incredible income it takes to feed the different animals that we are fortunate to have here. For instance, it costs $25 a day to feed the red panda trio their berries, apple-fiber biscuits, and bamboo. It costs $70 a day to feed the lion pride chicken, mutton and beef. To keep the Humboldt penguin colony fed is $150 a day in live trout, smelt and herring. The staff at Woodland Park Zoo work tirelessly every day, 365 a year, caring for the animals who live there, including seeing that the animals’ diets are carefully maintained for optimum health. If you want to learn more, or donate to the animals’ care, visit the Woodland Park Zoo website (click here.)
- City Fruit is one of our most grassroots, locally based non-profits, and they provide one of the most basic services to those most in need – fresh fruit to our food banks. In fact, in 2019, City Fruit harvested nearly 37,000 pounds of fruit and the vast majority of that went to food banks and meal programs (only 1,100 pounds were composted.) City Fruit works with volunteers harvesting and caring for public and private fruit trees, making sure viable fruit doesn’t go to waste and that everyone can enjoy those crops. Find out more about this vital work, and donate to City Fruit through their website (click here.)
- Urban Sparks works with community leaders to fund specific projects or do fiscal oversight for small non-profits. To date, 108 projects have been fascilitated by Urban Sparks, with three of those projects leading to creation of new 501(c)3 non-profits. Urban Sparks seeks to empower great ideas and leadership, in our community. Learn more, and donate, through the Urban Sparks PayPal page (click here.)
- Moisture Festival brings more than 250 artists together, in Fremont, every year – to perform, network, and collaborate. Best of all, Moisture Festival allows all of us in to see these local, national and international performers, and audiences to their shows come from our neighborhood as well as from around the region. Moisture Festival is now the largest and longest running variety showcase in the world, and yet it only happens thanks to the generosity of donors. Find out more about Moisture Fest, and how to donate (plus, how to get in the drawing for two tickets to opening night,) on the MF website (click here.)
In addition to these great non-profits, consider giving other to Fremont-based charities including:
- FamilyWorks & Resource Center
- Fremont Arts Council
- Interconnection
- KBFG Radio 107.3FM
- MiiR
- Puget Soundkeeper Alliance
- Seattle Pacific University
- Solid Ground
- Wallingford Boys & Girls Club
- Wallingford Community Senior Center
Even if you cannot give on Giving Tuesday, please consider making monetary gifts to one, or many, of these local non-profits, that support our community and our globe!