Giving Back to Those Who Give Back

The Colfax World Fair is most likely the largest annual event held in Valley Village, and it is completely put together by volunteers. From 4 a.m. Thursday through Sunday night, over a thousand Colfax parents, siblings and community members pitch in an hour or 100 hours setting up, working the actual fair day Saturday, and cleaning up the aftermath.

It’s a barrel of fun to “give your 3 for Colfax” – the campaign to get every Colfax family member to commit three hours to the seven-hour fair. But there’s an added bonus for the volunteers who commit extra time in the preparation or cleanup stages. They are fed. Well fed. And the food comes from very generous businesses that donate meals completely free of charge to those who work their bottoms off during those non-glamorous days.

Stephanie Levy, owner of Studio Sub on Tujunga Avenue celebrates her first year in business next month. She was only open a few months when a Colfax parent approached her with a donation solicitation, and Levy replied that she would be happy to give sandwiches to any event. Levy kept her word and will be donating sandwiches on Sunday for the exhausted volunteers who are cleaning up the campus after the fair.

“We’re doing it to support the community, the schools, the families, the kids,” Levy said. “We get to spread the word to our neighbors that we’re here and we’re great and they get to try it.”

She believes that her sandwiches are far superior to chain sandwich shops.

“It’s like comparing The Counter to McDonalds,” she noted and said she is certain that as soon as anyone has a bite, they’ll be hooked.

is the son of the creators of Miceli’s Italian Restarant, and at 62 years old, it is the oldest Italian Restaurant in Hollywood. Miceli’s donates to several area schools including Blessed Sacrament in Hollywood, Jefferson High School in Burbank, and St. Charles Borromeo in Toluca Lake. Friday night, Miceli’s will be donating pasta, sauce, bread, and salad for 40 Colfax volunteers. Miceli revealed that he grew up in the North Hollywood area, and as a family-owned restaurant, “for us not to do something in the community would make no sense.”

He added that “we have a wonderful base of clientele and they’re always coming back.” Frank said he realizes that Colfax is made up of families who are regular customers, and this is his way to give back to them.

Dan Sheehy is a VP at Panda Restaurant Group, the company behind Panda Express, and he has two children who attend Colfax. Sheehy says that providing panda bowls and spring rolls for volunteers on Thursday is merely an extension of Panda’s philosophy of helping community organizations. He pointed out that Panda’s foundation Panda Cares has a mission statement which “brings hope to children in need. Our purpose is to promote the spirit of giving within Panda by directly serving the health and education needs of underserved children.”

Colfax Charter fortunately is not destitute enough to qualify for the Panda Cares program, but Sheehy said that “community organizations like Colfax are worthy of support and we like to give back.”

He added that the lunch donation “helps us to promote our brand in the local neighborhood and we get a lot of business back from the community.”

Daily Grill in Studio City is well known for helping community organizations. They are a frequent supporter of Carpenter Community Charter, and just two weeks ago they hosted a breakfast for volunteers at Walter Reed Middle School. Thursday night Daily Grill prepared a feast for volunteers who were setting up tents at the Colfax World Fair. Angel hair pasta pomodoro, pasta primavera, chicken pesto, mashed potatoes, vegetables, two different salads, rolls … this was certainly a treat after a hard day’s work, which stretched into the evening. Manager Oliver Smith said that “for us – it’s a community-oriented thing. There are great schools in this area.”

He added that his donations “help fund the arts and other programs that are cut.”

Daily Grill’s other goal is “putting our name out there,” according to Smith. “It’s great exposure for us because of the amount of parents who are there volunteering. Parents patronize the places that give back to their school.”

Aroma Coffee & Tea Company on Tujunga is hopping any morning of the week, and Thursday was no exception … except for the added work of preparing muffins and baked goods for the Colfax volunteers.

“We have a lot of families who come here,” manager Moira notes. “This is our community. Community building is one of the things that we have a physical hand in. We can help the teachers and volunteers for the school.” She emphasizes the need because “it’s a backwards system. The things most needed are often the first things dropped.”

Tanya at in North Hollywood claims that “when people ask for a donation, we always give it.” She’ll be providing lunch to Colfax volunteers on Friday afternoon and is also one of the food vendors the day of the Colfax World Fair.

“A community knows how to build a community,” Tanya says. “Looking to the outside for help is not as effective.”

She suggests that “communities should help each other, and being supportive of each other is an excellent way to help.”

By day, Barry Berkowitz is the VP of Digital Marketing Solutions for The Info Group. But on the weekends he’s a major foodie with a private passion for cooking. A couple of years ago, Barry cooked up a chicken sandwich for his block party that had neighbors lining up for two hours. Since then, he’s prepared them for other venues, including the Grammys. On Saturday June 4, he’ll be borrowing an industrial-sized turkey fryer and cooking his Crispy Chicken Sandwiches for the Colfax World Fair. But the day before, he’ll be preparing a little treat for the volunteers to lure them into buying them at the fair.

The legendary sandwich is a crispy chicken breast on a soft French roll with a crunchy, tangy, somewhat spicy cole slaw on top.

“If I make it right, it will be crunchy, spicy, savory, and chewy,” Barry says. “It’s the most amazing sandwich you will ever taste.”

He has a 1st grader who goes to Colfax, so he sees first-hand how budget cuts are affecting education.

“Drastic times call for drastic measures, “ Barry observes, and he visualizes his chicken sandwich making money directly for the kids.

Other generous businesses donating to the Colfax World Fair volunteers include Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in Encino (at Ventura and Louise). Manager Bryn Freetag used to manage the Studio City Coffee Bean and maintains a close relationship with the parents at Colfax. Little Dom’s in Los Feliz is donating beverages, and Big Sugar Bakeshop will be proving delicious baked goods.

The common theme running through all these businesses is the concept of community -- how parents will become loyal customers to those businesses who help their schools. At Colfax Charter Elementary, the gratitude of the hungry volunteers will hopefully materialize in many decades of dining out at their new favorite restaurants.