2 Boise nonprofits, spurred by food-related missions, merge. Why it matters
Two local nonprofits, both the spurred by major global crises, are joining forces to help put people to work and feed those in need.
City of Good, which sprung up during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Create Common Good, founded by Tara Russell in 2008 as the Great Recession began, signed an agreement to combine under the City of Good brand. Both nonprofits are based in Boise.
Britt Udesen, the executive director for City of Good, will oversee the combined nonprofit. The boards of both voted unanimously to merge after Russell proposed the idea.
“She was the one who thought we could be better together,” Udesen told the Idaho Statesman by phone.
Udesen said there will no staff reductions or layoffs. Together, the nonprofits employ 15 people and plan to hire more, she said.
City of Good was started in 2020 to pay out-of-work restaurant employees to make meals for those in need. The nonprofit then broadened its work to create and deliver kits that provided a weekend’s worth of fresh food to elementary school kids who might have otherwise gone without.
In its first three years, City of Good distributed over 40,000 pounds of local produce; $33,000 worth of shelf-stable goods to school pantries and early learning centers for kids to take home; and 90,000 restaurant-made meals to children, refugees, seniors, homeless people and others, according to a guest opinion by Russ Stoddard, a member of the nonprofit’s board of directors, published in the Statesman in November 2023.
Create Common Good was established to provide food-service training and job-placement services to refugees, women escaping domestic violence and people overcoming addiction. It has helped hundreds of people gain new skills and become self-sufficient.
The nonprofit also works with the Idaho Department of Correction to help people who are recently released transition back into the community. In 2022, Create Common Good brought a food-service training program into Idaho prisons that helps prepare incarcerated people to work in kitchens, get certifications and learn other skills so that they can get jobs when they leave.
“We will continue to support and nurture the programs that Create Common Good has been running for the last 16 years,” Udesen said.
She said that by combining, the nonprofits will be able to expand opportunities for workforce development and significantly expand markets for local farmers and food producers.
Create Common Good sells grab-and-go food options at Hyde Perk Coffee House in the North End, the AmeriBen Cafeteria in Meridian and retail shops in the Boise Airport. The nonprofit recently signed a new contract to continue providing grab-and-go food in the airport for the next 10 years.
“If you get a sandwich at the airport, you’re supporting workforce development, and soon you will also be supporting local farmers and food producers,” Udesen said.
Udesen said City of Good has long admired the work of Create Common Good, and the two nonprofits have supported each other and worked together to provide resources to the community and ensure they’re not duplicating efforts.
Merging allows the nonprofits to share staff, equipment, vehicles, kitchens, infrastructure and development plans, which will lower overhead costs, she said.
“We always work in partnership, whether we’re producing ready to eat meals or delivering fresh produce,” Udesen said. “Now, we’re able to really integrate the programs between the two organizations in a more efficient and, we think, more impactful way.”
The merger is expected to be finalized on Jan. 1, according to a news release.
This story was originally published December 16, 2024 at 4:00 AM.
