Alchemist Community Development Corporation

Reviewed by the Sacramento Region Community Foundation

$7,348 raised by 57 donors

59% complete

$12,500 Goal

Alchemist Community Development Corporation was founded in 2004. Since inception, Alchemist CDC has been dedicated to the intersection of equitable food systems and economic development. 

Our largest program facilitates the use of CalFresh (previously known as food stamps) at several farmers' markets in the Sacramento area. A second program area, Alchemist Kitchen, assists low-income and under-resourced food entrepreneurs with starting and growing food businesses. Finally, our Neighborhood Empowerment program works with local neighbors to support grassroots efforts to solve community problems and pursue visions of the common good.

Our vision is to see that all neighborhoods are vibrant, equitable, healthy, and diverse

Mission

We connect communities to land, food, and opportunities.

Needs

Donation Needs

$86 provides 1 hour of CalFresh and Market Match processing at a local farmers’ market. In 2022, we distributed more than $650 per hour. Every dollar you donate means $7.50 spent by low-income neighbors on nutritious groceries from local farmers!

The entrepreneurs in our food business incubator program need additional tools to scale up their production and develop sustainable small businesses. $500 allows us to buy an additional piece of equipment to make our kitchen an ever more functional place for the entrepreneurs who use it.

Our work managing and offering programming at four community gardens helps residents to grow their own nutritious food and learn more about healthy food preparation. Your donation will help us with the costs of maintenance of these community assets and to develop more creative offerings to engage neighbors.

Volunteer Needs

We are always in need of volunteers to help distribute CalFresh and Market Match nutrition incentives at local farmers’ markets. Volunteering at these markets is a great way to make a real difference for food access and food justice, as well as an excellent way to make friends and find community here in Sacramento.

Is your organization or company looking for corporate volunteer opportunities? We can develop customized volunteer days that offer the opportunity to make a real impact and learn new skills.

As our programs continue to grow, we are increasingly forming committees focused on specific projects and needs. If you have expertise that may be helpful and relevant to our work, let us know and we can explore custom opportunities to help you put your expertise to work for the good of the Sacramento region. You may be surprised at the ways in which all sorts of skillsets and knowledge could fit with our work!

Are you interested in serving on our Board of Directors? Volunteering in one of the capacities mentioned above is a great way to learn more about Alchemist CDC and to potentially join the Board in the future.

Are you a student in need of a unique internship opportunity for your degree program? Let us know and we can discuss the potential for creating a customized internship that simultaneously serves the community and your educational and professional development.

Equity Statement

At Alchemist CDC, we understand that the problems we're working to address – disparities in access to healthy food, green spaces, and entrepreneurship – are symptoms of a greater societal system that was built for some and to discriminate against others. We also recognize that Sacramento's history of redlining, redevelopment, and racial covenants have created barriers where race is the primary reason that a person faces additional hurdles.

By almost every metric, Black, Indigenous, and people of color suffer disadvantages and worse quality of life outcomes than their white neighbors. We also recognize that a person's race intersects with other social and political identities, such as gender, sexuality, national origin, and documentation status, which all overlap and create different forms of discrimination and disadvantage. We acknowledge our responsibility to dismantle white supremacy, uphold the experiences of people of color, and advance equitable change.

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Alchemist Community Development Corporation

other names

Alchemist CDC

Year Established

2004

Tax id (EIN)

20-1891448

Mission Category

Community Improvement, Capacity Building

Operating Budget

$500,001-$1 million

Organization Need

Funding: Unrestricted, Board Members, Funding: Program, Volunteers

Demographics Served

Low-income individuals/families, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx

Local Counties Served

Sacramento, Yolo

Equity Statement

Equity Statement

Address

4625 44th St. Ste. 33
Sacramento, CA 95820

Service areas

Sacramento, CA, US

Phone

916-204-8260

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