YP2F HQ: We made a Zine for that

First things first: thank you for supporting our Valentine's Day food drive. We're still feeling the warmth from it. Here's a snapshot of what we pulled off together:

• 38 drivers checked in
• 100+ pickups across the city
• 250+ bags and boxes collected
• 1,800+ lbs of food donated and redistributed

We'll be doing a full recap soon, but we wanted to lead with gratitude before diving into everything else we've been building.

Officially *Tax-Exempt*

Last October, we hosted the YP2F HQ hard launch — and over a hundred people came through to celebrate with us. The centerpiece of the night was a big announcement: we had officially filed paperwork with the federal government to become a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.

But here's the thing — we've never loved the word "non-profit." A piece from Inside Philanthropy put it well: "That label doesn't just distort perception; it distorts funding. It signals scarcity, not strength." We think the same way. We're a community organization built on abundance, mutual aid, and collective power, and we're actively thinking about what language better reflects that. More on this soon.

The launch itself was everything we hoped it would be. We held a raffle celebrating our neighborhood business partners, gave out 100 jars of jam (Sqirl forever — meet us there for dinner service!), and served incredible food from local vendors supported by Polo's Pantry. We also had a DIY upcycling station with Smile Cult and Custom Land, where we gave new life to overflow donations from last year's fires.

But beyond the party, the night was really about sharing our mission, vision, and theory of change with our community for the first time. And naturally, we made a zine for that.

When in Doubt, Make a Zine.

I (Robin) made every single one of these zines by hand — stapling, binding, edge trimming, all of it (come by the space sometime and I'll walk you through our industrial 400-page guillotine book trimmer. Yes, it's as satisfying as it sounds).

Zines feel like the most honest way we know to tell our story: accessible, DIY, made with care.