Healdsburg Gives

An amazing array of Healdsburg businesses and trade groups are collecting or contributing donations to community charities this year.

Here are just a few. If we missed yours, feel free to add it in the "comments" section below, or download a photo using the "edit photos and video" link below.

Wine Road Executive Director Beth Costa and staff donated $7,000 to

"That includes  $5,915, which is $1 from each ticket sold during A Wine & Food Affair and our customers donated $1,085 when they ordered their event tickets - for a total donation of $7,000," Costa said. "Happy Thanksgiving!"  http://www.refb.org/

President of presented a $7,000 donation to Michael Spielman, Executive Director of Drug Abuse Alternative Center for the Perinatal Day Treatment in Santa Rosa on Nov. 2.

This specific program aligns well with our organization’s mission to improve the lives of women and girls. The Perinatal Day Treatment program specifically helps women that are pregnant and in need of help to break free of their addiction before the arrival of their unborn child and they also learn life skills.

Evidence demonstrates that treatment not only saves lives, it also saves dollars that would otherwise be spent in other areas of medical care and social services. Every dollar invested in treatment yields a $7 savings related to crime alone. When health care costs are factored into the equation, the savings approach $12 for every $1 invested in treatment.

Healdsburg Soroptimists also presented a $3,000 donation to Courtland Palmer for his senior project at Cardinal Newman, Russ’s Kitchen Bread for Life.

This specific program aligns well with our organization’s mission to improve the lives of women and girls in our local communities and internationally.

Courtland Palmer has a goal to raise $85,000 that will be utilized to build a modern state of the art kitchen/bakery at the Altagarica orphanage in the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo. The kitchen/bakery will provide the girls that live there food to survive, bread to sell and a potential vocation.

Interested in helping women and girls, too? You can learn more about our organization by sending an email to joinus@sihealdsburg.org

Bistro Ralph donated $2,000 to Healdsburg High School, owner Ralph Tingle said.

"At Bistro Ralph, 50 percent of our corkage fees earlier this fall went to raise funds for Healdsburg High School," Tingle said. "Through this program we raised  $2,000 (and counting) and we presented a check to  Vice Principal Kestrel Davis."

Coldwell Banker and the Santa Rosa Chapter of Realtors are hosting a 2011 Winter Coat Drive. They are  collecting coats for men, women and children.

 The coats donated will go to Redwood Covenant Church Charities, Catholic Charities Homeless Service Center, and the Redwood Empire Gospel Mission.

  If you would like to contribute, you may drop off your coats at Coldwell Banker Santa Rosa through Dec. 13, or call Gary Sumner at (707) 535-8732 for pickup.

McConnell is hosting a food drive to collect nonperishable or canned food items through Dec. 31. All items will be donated to the Healdsburg Food Pantry.

Customers who donate items are eligible for discounts on auto service. Contact Manager Scott Kiessig at scott@mcconnellchevrolet.com for more information.

 Is your group also in a giving mode? Tell us in the comments.