Washington, D.C./ Auburn, CA- Veronica Blake, CEO of Placer Community Foundation (PCF), was one of 75 leaders from community foundations throughout the U.S. who convened at the White House in celebration of 100 years of community philanthropy in the U.S.
Foundation leaders convened on Dec. 2 with staff from the President’s Domestic Policy Council as well as Jonathan Greenblatt, Special Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation. The subject was Community Foundations: Vital Leadership for America’s Future, and participants discussed issues such as equity, social justice, climate change, education, disaster relief, and health care.
“Deep expertise and local knowledge give community foundations a critical role to play in this [philanthropic] process,” Greenblatt wrote in a White House blog post about the event. “The core values that they bring – like creativity, compassion, perseverance and grit – make them essential to achieving long-term success.”
“Placer Community Foundation has a long history of partnering with local government,” Blake said. “It was an honor to have the opportunity to share our local successes with our colleagues and the White House.”
The CEO points to the Mobile Food Pantry as one result of PCF’s partnership successes. The foundation convened partners from nonprofits, faith organizations, local government, and the private sector to study the food system in our community. The Placer County Food Systems Report was a product of this collaboration, and with this information the partners learned how to best make improvements to help local citizens in need. With a $43,000 gift from the Community Needs Fund at Placer Community Foundation, Placer Food Bank’s Mobile Food Pantry was created. It continues to distribute 900,000 pounds of healthy, refrigerated, produce to local food pantries annually.
About Placer Community Foundation
Placer Community Foundation grows local giving to strengthen our community by connecting donors who care with causes that matter. Known for sound financial management and knowledge of the nonprofit sector, the Community Foundation continually monitors the region to better understand the nature of local needs, so that it can invest in areas such as arts and culture, education, health and human services, and the environment. The Community Foundation provides regular trainings and technical assistance for the many local nonprofits that are experiencing growing public demand for programs and services.
To learn more about establishing charitable funds, visit www.placercf.org
