Tehama Together
Some problems just seem insurmountable, even for the most dedicated person. But if you hand those problems to a whole group of those dedicated people, you’re likely to find some real solutions. That’s the focus of Tehama Together, where people come together to solve problems and build solutions.
“Participating in Tehama Together provides a place where volunteers can use their passion, interests, and skills to make a positive change in the community with the compensation being a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction,” says founder and volunteer executive director Orle Jackson.
Among their many projects:
- The Community Food Alliance works to improve nutrition and food availability in Tehama County. This collaboration of agriculture, food pantries, nutrition programs, farmer's markets, education, health, retail, and restaurant businesses helps build a healthy food system.
- Tehama Farm Table Dinners promote local farms and their products build community by uniting farmers with consumers, and share stories of Tehama County farm families while raising money to support Tehama Together’s activities.
- Tehama Together provides leadership to Food Share, a collaboration of the many Tehama County organizations that provide food assistance to residents.
- 2-1-1 Tehama, a 24/7 helpline, was established and is maintained by Tehama Together with the support of United Way of Northern California.
- Listos - Preparing for Emergencies, a program of the State Office of Emergency Preparedness is also a program of Tehama Together.
Tehama Together was founded on Jan. 19, 2009, the National Day of Community Service, to build a collaborative umbrella to address the county’s unmet needs. Many of the 25 initial participants are still active in the group more than a decade later.
And these board members aren’t simply figureheads – because the organization doesn’t have employees, the board carries out all of the tasks associated with its various projects. Most members are retired professionals. Tehama Together counts on individual, family, and corporate sponsorships to fund its mission.
“Making services available to the community not only helps those in need but greatly contributes to the health, happiness, and welfare of our entire community,” says Board President Patricia Phillips.