We are Community Initiatives for Collective Impact!

Community Initiatives for Collective Impact (Ci4Ci) began in June 2017 in Merced County, California.  Ci4Ci is a non-profit organization with the mission to join diverse people, ideas, and resources to address the most pressing social and environmental justice priorities of our day. We believe that the community concerns of California’s San Joaquin Valley (SJV) can only be addressed if we find ways for collective action. 

One injustice we saw was the growing need for food in our communities. Three years ago we began our food program, food. ¡Para todos!, where we try to give free food away to our community members in need. Our mission is to create a community where all surplus food in Merced County is given to people in need as fast as possible instead of going to the landfill.

We would not be here if it were not for the early work of the People’s Garden (2018, 2019), the Pop-Up People’s Pantry (2020), the People’s Fridge (2020, 2021A, 2021B) and Project Grow (2018). All of this prior effort was done as a partnership between community members and academic members (students, staff, faculty of colleges), especially from UC Merced and the Office of Sustainability. All of this earlier work was founded and sustained through the generous and supportive fiscal sponsorship of the United Way of Merced County. 

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A COLLECTIVE IMPACT!