Annual Report Copy - Executive Summary

This year, “neighbors feeding neighbors” wasn’t a slogan—it was a map. From Eolia to Cumberland, we kept fresh food within a short drive, most of it grown by people you know. Neighbors feeding neighbors put fresh food within a short drive.

Our mission is simple and local: we connect rural families with fresh, affordable food and support local growers in Harlan and Letcher Counties, eastern Kentucky. Last year we promised to listen first and map gaps with neighbors. This year we built routes, schedules, and farmer partnerships from those maps so food gets where it’s needed, when it’s needed.

Together, we reached farther and deeper. 2,185 households received 412,600 pounds of produce and staples. That’s a 31% increase in households from 2023, reflecting both need and trust. We hosted 64 pop-up markets across 11 hollers so families could shop close to home with dignity and choice. We completed 1,860 home deliveries to seniors and people with disabilities, because food should not depend on a car or steep steps. We recruited 18 new farm partners, strengthening our local food economy while keeping dollars here. And 94% of participants reported skipping fewer meals this year. As one neighbor told us, “I didn’t have to choose between medicine and groceries this month.” — Mabel King, Black Mountain resident.

Mid-summer, the July flooding hit hard. Our Cumberland pantry took on water, and our refrigerated truck was sidelined for six weeks. We shifted to church kitchens, added dry boxes, and built a backup cold chain with two loaned coolers so produce stayed safe. We learned to pre-position supplies and train neighborhood captains. Those changes now live in our playbook, and they make us more ready for the next storm.

This work is possible because so many of you show up. Volunteer power fueled 6,420 hours of community-led distribution. In 2024, 486 individual donors invested in this approach, along with 55 monthly donors who kept the wheels turning. Three foundations provided $210,000 in grants, and six local business sponsors backed our pop-up markets and fuel. Two hundred twenty volunteers lifted, sorted, drove, called, and checked on their neighbors.

We manage dollars with care. In FY24, Coalfield Neighbors Food Collective brought in $680,400 and spent $654,300. We invested 87% in programs, 8% in management, and 5% in fundraising. Our FY24 financial review was completed by Smith & Poe CPAs, and our Form 990 was filed on time. We stretch every gift and track costs closely so a family can count on food each month.

Next year, we’re focused on three priorities drawn from what you told us. First, open a satellite pantry in Cumberland so we can shorten lines and add hours, even during bad weather. Second, pilot a winter greenhouse cohort with five growers to keep greens and roots coming when gardens rest. Third, build a two-month operating reserve so service is steady through storms and delays. Your support will help us equip the new pantry, coach growers, and set aside the reserve that keeps promises.

Please stay with us. Read the full report at coalfieldneighbors.org/2024; subscribe at coalfieldneighbors.org/subscribe; sign up to volunteer. With every box packed and every dollar shared, you make this a community-built solution.

With gratitude,

Alicia Ward, Executive Director Headshot here [Alt text: Alicia Ward, Executive Director, standing by a mobile farm stand]

['Miles driven by the Mobile Market: 9,240', 'Average cost per household served per month: $28', 'Senior deliveries completed: 1,860']

['Households served by month (2024)', 'Revenue vs. Expenses (FY24)', 'Program vs. Admin vs. Fundraising %']

['Neighbors feeding neighbors put fresh food within a short drive.', '2,185 households received 412,600 pounds of produce and staples.', 'We learned to pre-position supplies and train neighborhood captains.', '94% of participants reported skipping fewer meals this year.', 'Volunteer power fueled 6,420 hours of community-led distribution.']

Stories became paychecks for Detroit youth this year. We watched portfolios turn into offer letters, and first-day jitters turn into first checks.

Detroit Youth Media Lab exists for this. We train Detroit teens and young adults in media arts and connect them to paid work in Detroit, Michigan and neighboring communities. Our focus is simple: real skills, real projects, real wages. Last year’s theme was root to rise—building foundations for creative careers. This year, those roots carried our young people into studios, agencies, and production sets.

We served 1,980 youth in 2024, a 19% increase from 2023, while keeping our mentor-to-student ratio at 1:6. We placed 280 paid interns with 61 employers across the region, from indie film houses to in-house marketing teams. “Your interns arrived ready to work and to lead.” — Marcus Reed, Producer, Lakeview Media. In June, we opened our new Southwest Detroit studio, giving young creators a home base on Vernor. We also launched a VR module in six schools, introducing students to immersive storytelling and new career paths in XR. Eighty-eight percent of seniors graduated on time, and seventy-four percent placed in college, training, or media jobs within six months. Program retention held at 92%, driven by consistent coaching, paid projects, and a clear path from classroom to client.

We hit bumps and learned fast. Spring staff turnover and delayed equipment shipments slowed two cohorts. Standardized gear kits kept learning moving despite delays. We leaned on refurbished equipment, strengthened mentor onboarding, and cross-trained staff so classes did not stall if one person was out. The result: smoother handoffs, faster setup, and less downtime in the field. We’ll carry these practices forward.

This progress reflects a community effort. Thank you to 518 individual donors and 63 monthly donors who kept stipends flowing and lights on in the lab. Twelve foundation grants totaled $1.6M, and nine corporate partners contributed $420K in cash and in-kind support. One hundred forty-five mentors volunteered 4,800 hours, reviewing reels, teaching workshops, and opening doors. Employers hosted our interns, hired our graduates, and shared honest feedback that made us better.

Financially, we raised $3.21M and spent $3.05M in FY24. We invested 84% in programs, 9% in management, and 7% in fundraising. Our FY24 audit was clean, and we post our Form 990 on our website within 30 days of filing. We steward every dollar to turn training into paid opportunity.

Looking ahead, we are focused on three priorities. First, expand paid apprenticeships to 350 placements so more young people earn while they learn. Second, build an alumni network of 1,000 to keep graduates connected to gigs, mentors, and each other. Third, implement a data system to track outcomes across five years, so we can improve supports from the first workshop to the first promotion. Your support powers all of this—stipends, employer outreach, alumni coaches, and the tech backbone to measure what matters.

Read the full report at detyouthmedia.org/2024; subscribe at detyouthmedia.org/subscribe; and come cheer at our spring showcase. Stories that hired are better with you in the room.

With gratitude,

Nadia Hassan, Executive Director

Headshot here Alt text: Nadia Hassan, Executive Director, smiling in front of mixing boards in the studio.

['Average stipend per intern: $1,200', 'New Southwest Studio opened June 2024', 'Mentor-to-student ratio held at 1:6']

['Internship placements by sector (film, audio, design, XR)', 'Graduate outcomes at 6 months (2024 cohort)', 'Revenue sources (FY24)']

['Stories became paychecks for Detroit youth this year.', '280 paid internships with 61 employers across the region.', 'Standardized gear kits kept learning moving despite delays.', 'Eighty-eight percent of seniors graduated on time.', 'Seventy-four percent placed in college, training, or media jobs.']

From January’s king tides to the first autumn storms, our shoreline pilots did what they were built to do: hold the line and breathe with the Bay. Neighborhood paths stayed open, pumps cycled less, and shorebirds returned to newly forming marsh. ['From pilots to proven, we scaled nature-based defenses.']

Our mission remains clear and urgent. We restore tidal wetlands and living shorelines to protect people, wildlife, and infrastructure from sea-level rise in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. We do this because working shorelines reduce flood risk, store carbon, and support local economies—while keeping the Bay alive for future generations.

This year we converted pilots into proof. We restored 1,260 acres of tidal marsh across five sites, accelerating progress toward regional resilience while adding habitat for salmon, rail, and migratory birds. ['Acres restored in 2024: 1,260'] ['1,260 acres restored and 4.3 miles of living shoreline built.'] We built 4.3 miles of living shoreline that now buffers neighborhoods and critical roads, using sediment and native oyster reefs to dissipate waves. In the Hamilton pilot zone, sensors and city logs show nuisance flooding days fell by 22%, easing commutes and emergency response. ['Nuisance flooding days down 22% in pilot zone'] ['Nuisance flooding days dropped twenty-two percent in the pilot.'] Our native plantings survived their first winter at 97%, lowering replanting costs and speeding marsh maturation. We secured $18.7M in federal match, multiplying local funds and allowing us to break ground at two additional sites ahead of schedule. ['We secured $18.7M in federal match to accelerate work.'] We signed co-management agreements with three Tribal Nations, aligning stewardship with cultural knowledge and long-term caretaking. “This restoration brings back work, salmon, and song for our people.” — Elena Whitefeather, Tribal Councilmember. To deepen the science that underpins policy, our team and academic partners published two peer‑reviewed studies on blue carbon, strengthening the case for marsh restoration as durable climate infrastructure.

We faced real headwinds. Permitting timelines and construction cost inflation threatened our schedules. We convened federal, state, and local agencies to pilot a regional permit framework and applied value‑engineered designs that kept ecological function while trimming materials and staging costs. ['Regional permitting shaved months off critical schedules.'] We diversified contractors and invested in a local restoration workforce to reduce bottlenecks. The lesson is lasting: design for adaptive management up front, and build capacity in the communities that will steward these places.

Our progress is powered by you. This year, 1,420 individual donors, 34 foundations providing $12.4M, and 9 corporate partners contributing $3.1M sustained our work, alongside $44M in competitive government awards. Membership reached 7,800. Volunteers showed up with shovels and notebooks—680 community scientists logged 12,300 hours planting, monitoring, and mapping. ['Volunteer community science hours: 12,300'] Thank you for turning last year’s commitment—Partnerships that hold water—into the regional action we see today.

Financially, we remain strong stewards. FY24 revenue totaled $68.2M against $64.9M in expenses; 89% supported programs, 6% management, and 5% fundraising. Our audited financials received an unmodified opinion, and our Form 990 is posted and available. We budget conservatively, match restricted dollars with flexible funds, and report transparently to every partner. ['Revenue composition (FY24)'] ['Program allocation (FY24)'] ['Living shoreline miles by year']

Looking ahead, we will scale marsh restoration to three additional shoreline counties, launch a blue‑carbon credit pilot to fund long‑term stewardship, and train and certify 200 local workers for restoration careers. Your support enables permits finalized on time, early construction mobilization, and paid apprenticeships that build lasting livelihoods.

I invite you to read the full report at baylandsresilience.org/2024, sign up for policy alerts, and join our annual summit to help guide the next phase.

Dr. Samuel Ortega, President & CEO

Headshot here [alt text: Dr. Samuel Ortega, President & CEO, standing at a restored tidal marsh]

['From pilots to proven, we scaled nature-based defenses.'] ['1,260 acres restored and 4.3 miles of living shoreline built.'] ['Regional permitting shaved months off critical schedules.'] ['Nuisance flooding days dropped twenty-two percent in the pilot.'] ['We secured $18.7M in federal match to accelerate work.']