Raymond H. Costa Receives Distinguished Trustee Award
The Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC) hosted its annual Celebration of Philanthropy on October 2, 2024 at The Club at Pasadera. Each year the Foundation recognizes an individual or couple who has demonstrated philanthropic leadership in our region with the Distinguished Trustee award. Board Chair Kirk Gafill presented the 2024 award on behalf of the board of directors to Raymond H. Costa
Philanthropy means “love of humanity” as well as generosity in all its forms, including giving of time, talent and financial resources to help make life better for other people, most of whom we will never meet. Raymond’s philanthropy has been demonstrated by his work, service and dedication to helping others.
Even in high school, Ray exemplified dedication and hard work, becoming a standout football player while getting up at 3 a.m. to milk the cows, before school, to do his share to contribute to the family dairy farm. That work ethic carried over to a local nursery, where he moved sprinkler pipes and then onto a cheese factory, before moving over to UPS, where he delivered packages for 17 years. During those formative years, he took real estate classes and obtained his California’s General Contractor’s license and built his own home. In 1995 he became a McDonald’s Owner/Operator, opening his first restaurant in Fort Bragg, CA. Today, he operates nine restaurants in the area, focusing on the Salinas Valley and Hollister in San Benito County.
Ray is always paying it forward, whether through board service for the Salinas Valley Chamber and the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Palo Alto or giving to nonprofit organizations. Ray has passionately supported several nonprofits, including the Salvation Army, the American Cancer Society, the California Rodeo-Salinas, The Boys & Girls Club, the California Air Show Salinas, the Ronald McDonald House in Palo Alto and Rancho Cielo, among many others. He took his giving to new heights when he came to the Community Foundation in 2017 to establish the Raymond H. Costa Family Scholarship Fund to benefit his employees and their children. Since then, he has awarded an incredible $419,000 to 151 recipients.
Raymond’s community spirit was further exemplified through his support of the Foundation during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020. He made it possible for VIDA (Virus Integrated Distribution of Aid) Community Health Workers to offer information on testing, vaccination and community resources in the parking lot of his Soledad McDonald’s. He even offered free Big Macs to encourage those who signed up for vaccines.
His leadership and generosity are making an incredible impact for his community, his employees and their children. We appreciate his partnership and were so proud to present the Distinguished Trustee award to Ray at the annual Celebration of Philanthropy at The Club at Pasadera on October 2, 2024. Additionally, each year the Distinguished Trustee recipient gets to award a $10,000 grant from the Community Foundation shared between the nonprofits of their choice. Ray not only chose to present grants to the SPCA of Monterey County and Ronald McDonald House, but matched the gifts to double the impact. Congratulations and thank you to Raymond H. Costa.
Bradley Zeve Recognized for Monterey County Gives!
Earlier in the evening, CFMC President/CEO Dan Baldwin recognized Bradley Zeve, Founder and Publisher of the Monterey County Weekly, for the success of the Monterey County Gives! campaign. Created originally as a donor advised fund, Monterey County Gives! is now a year-end campaign which runs from mid-November through December 31st. More than 200 participating nonprofits each receive 100% of donations plus a partial match, thanks to generous donors to the matching fund. The campaign is celebrating its 15th year in its current form in 2024. More than $68 million has been raised and granted since 2009.
MC Gives! is a special project of the Community Foundation for Monterey County, the Monterey County Weekly and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation. Thank you to the Gunde and Ernie Posey Family Foundation, Taylor Farms, Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel, Colburn and Alana Jones Foundation of the CFMC, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Cannery Row Company, Harden Foundation, Nancy Eccles and Homer M. Hayward Family Foundation, Post Ranch Inn, CFMC donor advisors and many individual donors for their generous support of the matching fund.
