Regina Brennan & Nzinga Woods - Serving Others

Nominated by

Chris Thomas

Presented by

Dianna MacDonald, City Council Member

About

In 2017, stemming from a group of community members who felt an urgency to address critical needs in our community by standing together to uplift each other during challenging times, Regina Brennan and Nzinga Woods co-founded the Sonoma County Black Forum non-profit. Its purpose was to build and sustain an engaged, inclusive, and informed community.

Early in the pandemic, Regina and Nzinga lead the quest to identify the most urgent needs of their community. They were quick to respond to the community's answers and focused on providing healthy and substantial food to those who needed it. Sonoma County Black Forum worked quickly and hosted three food distribution events at Santa Rosa High School in 2020 and 3 more in 2021. This location allowed them to provide a safe, contact-free distribution, where participants could stay in their vehicles while picking up much-needed grocery items. Sonoma County Black Forum also delivered to populations who had difficulty attending the drive-through events. Not only did residents provide heartfelt appreciation, but volunteers were able to recognize additional urgent needs of their participants. The Sonoma County Black Forum included these needs in its focus. They continue to expand their services and have remained dedicated and persistent in their desire to impact their community positively.

Congratulation to Regina Brennan and Nzgina Woods for being a 2022 Santa Rosa Merit Award Winner!