Community Philanthropy Awards: Jackson Family Wines, Santa Rosa
Kendall-Jackson has long been known as a family business, with strong connections to the local community and with a firm commitment to sustainable winemaking practices.
This legacy of concern for people and the land dates back to 1974, when Jess Jackson first saw in the fine vineyards of California’s cool coastal regions a place to produce fruit with a variety of outstanding flavors.
In 2015 Kendall-Jackson Winery hosted the largest Tour de Fox fundraising bike ride to date, bringing in nearly $440,000 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s disease research.
K-J engaged a significant number of business partners to help raise awareness and funds for this important cause.
“This was a first time event for us and our management and staff whole-heartedly, and adeptly, accepted this incredible challenge and opportunity with great success,” according to Rick Tigner, CEO of Santa Rosa-based Jackson Family Wines.
At another venue, nearly 200 Jackson Family Wines employees volunteered to fill 3,500 Baskets of Hope for severely ill hospitalized children. They unpacked pallets of donated goods, set up assembly lines, filled tote bags and assisted with delivering baskets.
“As a family-owned and run company, we believe strongly in the importance of being good neighbors,” said Caroline Shaw, executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “How we help take care of the communities, where we do business is as important as the grapes we grow and the wines we craft. That’s how we take care of our employees and how we give back as a member of the region.”
Another important community support project is K-J’s annual Heirloom Tomato Festival. It includes a tomato grower’s competition and a food purveyor’s contest in September, benefiting the Ceres Community Project.
Ceres considers food to be healing medicine. This Sebastopol-based nonprofit engages and empowers teens during a minimum three-month commitment as gardeners and chefs in one of the organization’s five kitchens in Sonoma, Marin and Alameda counties.
The project also nurtures leadership skills and commitment to healthful eating. It maintains two gardens, publishes the Nourishing Connections Cookbook and promotes community education and efforts to replicate its model nationwide.
In 2015, through the help of donors and sponsors like K-J, Ceres volunteer chefs prepared 93,000 free and low-cost healthful meals for hundreds of Sonoma and Marin families facing a health crisis, such as cancer and other serious illnesses.
Over the past seven years, Ceres has prepared and delivered a total of more than 243,500 healing meals.
“In addition, K-J supports over 40 community organizations, including the United Way and the Boys & Girls Club,” said Hugh Reimers, president of Jackson Family Wines. “Many of the winery’s employees donate hours of their time as well as financial support to a number of community nonprofit organizations.”
