Area Businesses also Help Nonprofits Thrive
AS SEEN IN THE RED ROCK NEWS
March 29, 2019
Every Wednesday, staff and volunteers at the Sedona Food Bank open their doors at 8:30 a.m. For the rest of the morning and again late in the afternoon, they assemble boxes of food for a stream of individuals and families experiencing job loss, a health crisis or any of life’s calamities that suddenly leave people needing help.
Support from Sedona businesses is critical to keeping the Food Bank going, says Executive Director Cathleen Healy-Baiza, such as making deliveries to 59 home-bound seniors and hosting holiday meals on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.
“We could not offer our support to the community without our local businesses,” she said, listing more than a dozen who contribute regularly. “Businesses provide in-kind donations, money, promotions, events and fundraisers,” she said, the most well-known being the Coffee Pot Restaurant’s annual Thanksgiving dinner giveaway, where diners are asked to leave a cash donation for the Food Bank.
Kevin Adams of the Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund agrees Sedona businesses fuel the success of area nonprofits. Thirty-five local businesses donate $1,000 per year to the Fund’s ‘Trail Keepers’ preservation program for a total of $35,000, which the Chamber matches. The Enchantment Resort, a Trail Keeper contributor, is even helping fund construction of the new 25-mile Western Gateway Trail. Businesses often provide volunteers and host benefit events, he added.
The list goes on.
The Humane Society of Sedona has saved countless animals, reuniting strays with owners and providing adoption services for pets in need. More than 30 businesses support this beautiful service that makes life so much better for humans and animals.
Keep Sedona Beautiful, one of the oldest and most influential environmental groups in Sedona, uses financial support from businesses to help pay for native plant workshops, litter lifting and the KSB Speaker Series. Keep Sedona Beautiful President Michael Yarbrough says businesses also strongly supporter KSB’s environmental stands on issues such as dark skies and noise reduction.
Sedona businesses (and our visitors) also make it possible for the City of Sedona to help nonprofits thrive. With tourism-based companies providing 77 percent of Sedona’s expanding sales tax revenues, City leaders can accommodate nonprofit support in the General Fund budget. This saves taxpayers’ money, since city-supported nonprofits such as Sedona Recycles offer a service the City might otherwise have to provide.
With Sedona taking bold steps towards sustainability, it is more important than ever that all sectors of the community work together to balance residents’ quality of life, our environment, the quality of our economy and the experience we offer visitors. The Sedona Sustainable Tourism Plan is the roadmap to a thriving, balanced community. The full plan can be viewed at SedonaSustainable.com.
As sustainability becomes a permanent Sedona value, it’s reassuring to know Sedona’s business community has the experience and the dedication to provide open-hearted leadership.
–Jennifer Wesselhoff, President/CEO