The second annual Buy Local, Give Local Week held Sept. 12 to 20 was a huge success for Ocean Park Boulevard and Westside Family Health Center (WFHC).
Buy Local, Give Local week is sponsored by the City of Santa Monica and encourages the community to support both local business and local non-profits.
For Ocean Park Boulevard, the number of participants supporting WFHC went from three businesses to 13.
WFHC, located at 1711 Ocean Park Blvd., partnered with Artful, Bob’s Market, Brooke Rodd, Give + Take, GOODS, Laura Korman Gallery (Bergamot Station), Love Coffee Bar, rumba/Kimba Hills Design, Santa Monica Yoga, Shaka Shack Burgers, The Hairbrains, and The Sofa Company (Lincoln Blvd). Thyme Cafe and Market also did a pre-week fundraiser for WFHC.
So far, WFHC has raised more than $2,000 through Buy Local, Give Local and is still collecting donations from the businesses.
“These generous donations made by local businesses along Ocean Park Boulevard mean a great deal to us,” said Deb Farmer, WFHC’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
GOODS, a first-time Buy Local, Give Local participant said, “As an independent retailer carrying predominantly fair trade gifts and home goods, we’re so happy we are to be able to help such a great cause as our neighborhood health center through Buy Local!”
Buy Local, Give Local not only helps non-profits, but local businesses attract new customers looking to support the community in a mutually beneficial way. Some of the businesses said they definitely saw new faces during Buy Local, Give Local week.
Lafayette James, Store Supervisor at Bob’s Market, said on the first day of Buy Local, Give Local Week he noticed some new customers.
“Some said they did not know that Bob’s Market was such a ‘hidden gem’ within the surrounding neighborhoods and were here in an effort to support local businesses who were participating in Buy Local, Give Local for WFHC,” James said. “This confirms that people really believe in supporting their community and Buy Local, Give Local gives us an opportunity to give back…in this case, to WFHC.”
It was also a great opportunity for new businesses to start giving back.
Laura Korman of The Laura Korman Gallery said she was thrilled to participate in Buy Local Give Local 2015.
“As a new business owner of a gallery at Bergamot Station, I wanted to find a way to give back to the community that I love,” Korman said. “As a Chamber of Commerce member and Board Member for the Santa Monica Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees), I have been an advocate for WFHC for many years and could not imagine a better recipient for my Buy Local Give Local donation. The Laura Korman Gallery hopes to participate again next year.”
Love Coffee Bar, also a new business on Ocean Park Boulevard, can’t wait to participate again next year, co-owner and barista, Samuel said, “We were happy to participate in Buy Local, Give Local Week for Ocean Park Boulevard. We are glad to benefit WFHC, as we find them an important player in our community.”
Artful owner, Nancy Lombardi, said “I have great respect and appreciation for Westside Family Health Center, so I was honored to be partnered up with them for Buy Local, Give Local Week. I think forming these types of partnerships is such good idea – it helps the businesses and the non-profits. ‘Ethical Capitalism’ in the works.”
Farmer said WFHC was grateful for the amazing relationships that the organization has with its neighbors.
“Ocean Park Boulevard is truly a community – the families that our local businesses are supporting through this partnership live, work and go to school here,” she said. “You pass them at the grocery store or the gas station. Their support is literally helping neighbors help neighbors and that is what makes our community so special.”
Mercedes Garcia, owner of The Hairbrains, a salon on Ocean Park, said her and her staff “just want to help the clinic whenever we can.”
rumba/Kimba Hills Design managing director Adam E. Schmidt agrees.
“rumba/Kimba Hills Design supports local non-profits like WFHC because it promotes the philosophy of local businesses working together to keep our community growing and strong,” said Schmidt.
Brooke Rodd, owner of new clothing and accessory shop, Brooke Rodd, also weighed in.
“I think Buy Local, Give Local is a great tool to help build up our community,” she said.
Many of the businesses that participated in Buy Local, Give Local support WFHC throughout the year through several other events.
The next partnership will be WFHC’s Annual Fall Open House and Bazaar on Monday, Nov. 16 from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm at 1711 Ocean Park Blvd. in Santa Monica. Guests will get to tour the clinic and shop local vendors for the holidays, which will then donate 20 percent back to WFHC.
Westside Family Health Center, founded in 1974, is a non-profit community health center providing a wide range of low-cost health care services. WFHC serves more than 9,700 low-income and uninsured women, men and children, regardless of one’s ability to pay.
To learn more about WFHC, or to donate, visit www.wfhcenter.org.
