Even before the 2009 festival began, we were overwhelmed by the response to our efforts to extend the impact of the festival beyond the films themselves. Through the generosity of several amazing "community sponsors" we successfully leveraged the festival into making substantial postive changes for several of our community partners. We thank each and every one of them for their contribution in helping to improve the quality of life and environment for everyone in Wisconsin!

MACSAC

Share the Shares

Whole Foods agreed to purchase food shares from MACSAC to donate to food pantries at First United Methodist Church and at Centro Hispano. Whole Foods will also donate fresh fruits through the winter months to help fill that gap. The Bradshaw-Knight Foundation and The Great Dane Pub also purchased shares, as did other individual donors. Food pantries rarely have fresh vegetables to offer their clients, so this effort ensured a steady supply on their shelves. In addition, Interstate Books4School agreed to donate a large number of children's books to the food pantries.

Porchlight

Porchlight Products

Several organizations agreed to purchase Porchlight Products for use or sale, thereby allowing the Porchlight program to train and hire more formerly homeless workers. The UW Memorial Union ordered cookies, canned goods and potato salad. The Great Dane Pub ordered some of Porchlight's jams, as did two of the UW-Madison sororities: Delta Delta Delta and Delta Gamma. Marling Home Works placed an order with Porchlight. Upper State St Espresso Royale also generously allowed us to do a tasting of Porchlight Products during the film festival, so that more audience-goers could learn about the program.

Community GroundWorks at Troy Gardens

Kid Gardening

Community GroundWorks at Troy Gardens received significant help in trying to build an outdoor Kids' Kitchen at its community garden that will allow kids to learn to cook the produce they freshly pick at Troy Gardens. Marling Lumber generously donated building materials for the kitchen. The Great Dane Pub pledged $300 to purchase mosiac tiles and glass for the kitchen. Willy St. Co-op pledged a food credit to the kitchen for use during the coming growing season!

Reducing Our Carbon Footprint

Taking a Load Off Planet Earth

In order to be a responsible citizen, Tales from Planet Earth tried to find ways to reduce the carbon footprint created by all of our travel and festival activities. Madison Gas & Electric Co. allowed us to get off to a great start in this respect with a $500 donation.