Groove Toyota anchors decade of charity at Sushi Den’s rooftop gala

Since its inception, the event has funneled $360,000 into humanitarian efforts. This year, the focus centered on We Don't Waste, a Denver-based organization that has salvaged 3.5 million pounds of surplus food to supply local shelters and soup kitchens. Fleet manager Drew Sanford noted the critical impact of such logistical support in bridging the gap between food waste and community hunger.

Beyond local outreach, the funds reached the Wildland Firefighters Foundation and disaster recovery initiatives in Venezuela and Japan. The latter serves as a poignant nod to the party’s origins, which began as a response to the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake. For Yasu Kizaki, who founded the restaurant 40 years ago with his brother Toshi, the dealership’s involvement represents a significant evolution in the event's scale. Chuck Morris, owner of the Englewood-based dealership, described the collaboration as an extension of his company’s broader mission to engage directly with the Denver neighborhood.