In brief 12/04/2024

Feeding frenzy Local food equity nonprofit Cultivate Charlottesville launched a fundraising campaign to help cover a $500,000 budget shortfall. Without the donations, the organization may close as soon as spring 2025, according to a November 26 social media post. “Cultivate Charlottesville is at a critical funding crossroads,” shared the organization. Among other challenges, the nonprofit […]

Pandemic pivot: How local nonprofits have adjusted to strange times

“When the pandemic set in, it rendered our model impossible,” says Jayson Whitehead, executive director of PACEM, a local nonprofit that partners with area houses of worship to offer overnight shelter and meals for the homeless during the winter. Close contact in church buildings became unsafe. So did the buffet dinners served by congregation volunteers. […]

Lending a hand: Black-owned businesses get some relief

When the pandemic struck, “it was like somebody just snatched a chair from under us,” says Jeanetha Brown-Douglas, owner of JBD Event Catering & Soul Food. “It was like having a business one day, and having no business the next day.” Inspired by her grandmother, Brown-Douglas first got into the food industry nearly 30 years […]

In brief: Drive-up dentist, neighborly love, and more

Open wide Parking lots have become the scene of all kinds of new activity in our virus-crippled world. Students are sitting in their cars to access school Wi-Fi. Religious congregations are meeting without getting out of their vehicles. And here in town, the Charlottesville Free Clinic is offering parking lot dental services for its patients: […]

Veritas branches out: Wide distribution planned for new brand True Heritage

Afton’s Veritas Vineyard & Winery has announced the launch of a new label, True Heritage. Breaking away from the traditional Virginia winery model (mostly on-site and local sales), True Heritage will focus on wider distribution to both meet and increase demand for the Commonwealth’s reds and whites. The rollout targets retail outlets and restaurants in […]