OUR NON-PROFIT FAMILY

Our Non Profits

Friendship Donations Network: Founded in 1988 by Sara Pines, MSW, Ph.D., Friendship Donations Network's mission is to rescue fresh nutritious food from stores and farms that would otherwise be thrown away and redistribute it to neighbors in need. This is accomplished by an extensive network of volunteers who pick up donations of mostly perishable excess and day-old food and deliver them to pantries and programs that serve in excess of 2,100 people weekly. For more information visit www.friendshipdonations.org.

Running to Places: Running to Places (R2P) is a youth-based community theatre company that brings together middle and high school students from across the county. In the process of producing a full season of shows, these young artists learn invaluable life skills while growing into a rich community, making friends with people they otherwise never would have had the chance to meet. R2P seeks to provide these opportunities while tearing down geographic, cultural, and socio-economic barriers.

Woods Earth Living Classroom: Wood's Earth Living Classroom engages youth and community in growing a sourcing fresh, local ingredients for school food programs in and around Ithaca, NY. We work with community partners to create a more participatory local food system through four integrated programs: (1) a community gardens where families grow their own food, (2) a school food farm where kids of all ages grow produce to sell to Ithaca City School District's central kitchen, (3) educational field trips, workshops and internships, and (4) farm-to-school system development in which we help farms, distributors, nonprofits and institutions find creative school food solutions.

Ithaca Public Education Initiative (I.P.E.I): I.P.E.I. believes the education of every student in the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) is enhanced through community connections and support that I.P.E.I. facilitates for students and teachers through engagement, collaboration, gifts, and grants. I.P.E.I.'s grant programs bring a diverse range of exceptional community resources into classrooms across the district. Through Kids Discover the Trail! I.P.E.I. encourages kids to explore the arts, literature, culture and the physical and natural worlds. As Affiliates of I.P.E.I., the Fine Arts Booster Group works with the ICSD to advocate, support and celebrate the arts for all kids; and the IthacaSTEM Advocates supports science, technology, engineering and math activities throughout the district.

Ithaca Children's Garden: Ithaca Children’s Garden (ICG), a 3-acre public garden unlike any other, is just a half mile from the Just Be Cause Center along the Cayuga Waterfront Trail.

Everything we do at Ithaca Children’s Garden (ICG) is done with one goal in mind: To inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. We know the best way to do that is to get more children outside, with hands-on experiences, having fun in the natural world. ICG delivers outstanding, research-based nature and play-inspired programs for all ages, year round: summer camps, seasonal festivals, school programs, teen programs, field trips, and more. ICG serves more than 7,000 participants through direct programming and 54,000 through casual visitation annually.

ICG is free and open to the public, dawn to dusk, 365 days a year. Come visit and experience the magic for yourself!

Coalition for Healthy School Food (CHSF): CHSF develops and gets plant-powered entrees from around the world on school menus. We also promote other nutrient-dense unprocessed plant foods, and work to educate the whole school community (students, parents, teachers, administrators, and food service personnel) about the benefits of plant-based eating. We do this by promoting the plant-based options, developing and teaching nutrition curriculum, and developing educational resources. We have formal partnerships with schools, including Ithaca, New York City, and Southern Cayuga, as well as work with any school or school district that asks for our help. Our recipes have been distributed to 25,000 schools nationwide, and our resources are used in hundreds of schools. We have made an impact/helped schools around the country and even several other countries!