Bombay Beach Community Development

Grower's First, Agave Surf, and Sofia Partida have partnered to raise funds for the desperate community of Bombay Beach in Salton Sea, California.



"Bombay Beach is truly a beautiful community that needs a little love and light to shine through," Dave Day, founder of Growers First, says. "It dawned on me how similar the needs are in Bombay Beach to the community development and sustainability needs in the communities we've served in the developing world for 18 years. It may be hard to believe that such essential needs aren't being met here in America, but in Bombay Beach—in Southern California right next to some of the most affluent communities on the planet—people are living on less than $11,000 a year. Some have no electricity or running water, and basic nutrition, health care, and education are a struggle for many of our neighbors."

Our goal is to raise $35,000 to support volunteers and programs for 2019. The Bombay Beach Art and Culture (BBAC) center, which opened February 2018, serves the many needs of Bombay Beach  residents through the five pillars of community development Growers First has implemented with such success in the developing world: Agriculture, Education, Economics, Health, and Faith.

All funds raised through this page will be matched, dollar for dollar, by Edrington America, the company that owns and operates Tequila Partida! This means your money now goes twice as far.



Growers First was gifted four lots in Bombay Beach where BBAC will be housed in several buildings that have been renovated this winter by teams of volunteers, and many hours of hands-on work by Dave Day. Our newest BBAC community coordinator and artist, Jack Parker, has relocated from Laguna Beach to Bombay Beach with his love Stefani. 

Money in Motion:

BBAC includes a multi-purpose community center that will be air-conditioned and serve as a community cooling center in the scorching summer months, as well as a home for a wide variety of programming including 12-step recovery and other meetings, and a resource library with computers and free WiFi—a particularly significant service for the community where most residents have no digital connectivity at all. BBAC will also be home to the Black Crow Coffee Bar, a free coffee bar serving coffee from Growers First farmers in Mexico and Honduras, and an alcohol-free alternative gathering place, which we  hope will be helpful to our residents struggling with addiction or families with children who would like to get out and mingle with their neighbors but don't want to bring their kids to a bar. 

Adjacent to The Kintsugi Lodge is The Barn, which will house work stations and supplies for artists and art projects, and will include at least one kiln. The Barn will have a swamp cooler in the summer months and, like The Lodge, be a cooling station for residents who don't have air conditioning at home (if they even have a home with electricity), and will be a venue for Artists-in-Residence to offer workshops. Next to The Barn is a guest house and a bunk house for visiting artists, volunteer and missions teams, and other visitors.

All funds raised through this page will be matched, dollar for dollar, by Edrington America, the company that owns and operates Tequila Partida! 



Thank you for your love and support, without you this community development project would not be possible.

Sincerely,

Dave Day and Sofia Partida