Welcome to Napa Valley CanDo

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Our Beloved hilary

"God, how she loved CanDo.

During our calls, it was often difficult to move her off the topic."

-Tom Stanton, hilary's brother

What began as a small grassroots group of around 20 neighbors, coming together to explore ways they could strengthen their community, has grown into the Napa Valley CanDo we know today: a powerful force for good in the Napa Valley, with over 850 volunteers who contribute in a wide variety of capacities.

How did all of this happen in eleven short years? We gratefully attribute it to the inspired leadership of hilary Zunin, who with Grania Lindberg co-founded CanDo in 2009. But the profound influence hilary had on CanDo might date back further, even to hilary’s formative years. The curious and creative young hilary who wore a pirate hat while watching TV with her family, who was a saddle-shoed high school cheerleader, who loved jumping out of airplanes and became a skydiving instructor, who was a published author, witty punster extraordinaire, and much-loved High School English teacher, was destined to become CanDo’s heart and soul.

She grew into a person who had a knack for seeing the possible, the probable, and the potential from every angle. She developed an ability to shift between recalling the past, being ever sincerely in the present, while also anticipating the future. Her vision, her ability to collaborate and to connect are integral to all that CanDo has accomplished.

No matter how daunting the goal, she could break it down into seamless steps which made it easy for our volunteers to work together to accomplish amazing things. Some examples are the elimination of single-use plastic bags in Napa County, the donation each year of tons of nonperishable food and healthy garden produce to the Napa Food Bank, the delivery of 13,000 pairs of shoes to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, and the creation of our annual Give!Guide which promotes funds and recognition for Napa County’s nonprofit community.

Everything hilary did came from a place of compassion and respect, with a touch of playfulness. As a result, CanDo is not a typical nonprofit. Instead of “Board of Directors,” we use the term “Core” which, hilary would explain, comes from the French coeur, meaning heart. Instead of a thank-you note, hilary took a batch of homemade brownies to a local business that donated irrigation materials for our Food Bank garden. Give!Guide meetings were so full of laughter that hilary’s husband Len dubbed them “marties”—a meeting that is really a party. When someone expressed interest in becoming involved in CanDo, hilary would invite them to chat over a cup of tea.

In this time of competitiveness and divisiveness, hilary was a living reminder to us that when we strive to care for our neighbors and foster a community of giving, we all win. We become greater than the sum of our parts.

Throughout her life hilary invited people to come together, whether to skydive, to decipher Shakespearean English, or to sort cans at the Food Bank-- an embodiment of thoughtful collaboration so that all of us can thrive, not just some of us. We will aspire to live as she did, in such a way that this spirit of collaboration enters into in every one of our interactions.

How we’re going to miss her. As we, all of us in CanDo, continue our work to make our community thrive, hilary will remain forever in our coeurs.

-- CanDo's CORE

Napa Valley CanDo

A vibrant grassroots community service organization!

Napa Valley CanDo connects, inspires and empowers neighbors to take positive action in order to help our community thrive. We're strong, creative, all-volunteer and growing quickly. Through our weekly email newsletter, The CanDo Connection, we feature "done-in-a-day" and family-friendly volunteer opportunities. So many of you want to help; we figure it's our job to make it easy.

Some of these come at the request of local nonprofits seeking volunteers. Others are based on CanDo's own projects which grow out of the interests of our members as we identify unmet community needs. We also spotlight exciting community events. We have no dues and no required service hours.

Click here to see and sign-up for CanDo's weekly The CanDo Connection.

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WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH CanDo's NAPA VALLEY FOOD PROJECT?

(YES, Virginia. There will be a April 10 (non) green bag pick-up!)

Our community is strong and caring. We knew that already, but there’s further evidence in the more than $22,000 dollars our members have donated to CANV's Napa Valley Food Bank during the pandemic. That’s in lieu of the green bags the Food Bank has been unable to accept due to COVID-19 protocols.

But on April 10, the volunteer Neighborhood Coordinators of CanDo’s Napa Valley Food Project will once again be driving their neighborhoods to pick up non-perishable foods for distribution to the thousands in need throughout the county. Learn more about how the project works here.

Once again, we are grateful to see the CanDo community answer the call. Anyone interested in fighting local food insecurity with a cash donation may send a check payable to the Napa Valley Food Bank, 1766 Industrial Way, Napa, CA 94558. Please write CanDo on the memo line.

Sharing food. Building community.

Heart Earth

CanDo Suggests a Few Ways to Help

During COVID-19

Self-care

Maintain physical distancing but stay socially connected.

Shelter-at-home as much as possible.

Wash hands frequently.

If you need to leave home, wear a face cover.

Check in on friends.

Seek out the small pleasures,

“sun breaks,” that brighten your day.

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During this COVID-19 crisis, Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) and Napa Valley CanDo have created a way for Napa County residents to stand up and say, “I want to help.” It’s Volunteers on Call.

With the situation changing so rapidly, we need to be ready to respond with dispatch. With your help, we can.

Complete this simple form to be listed. Your contact information will NEVER be shared with third parties. Instead, we’ll reach out as needs arise. You always have the option to opt out if an opportunity doesn’t feel like the right fit.

Please share the VOC link with others.

Spread the word – not the virus!

Let's do all we CanDo to take care of one another.

Current Projects

Increasing charitable donations to local nonprofits

Building Community and Sharing Food

Growing fresh produce

for distribution

through local Food Banks

Cleaning-up our river and creeks