Dudebox, the new-new Group of Seven and Toronto’s very own Charity Party Collective, is back with their next party fundraiser taking place this Saturday, April 14th at Loft404 (263 Adelaide St W, at John). Their last party took over Queen West’s Creatures Creating Gallery with a party-storm of fun, and raised over $2000 for orphanages in Haiti. This time around, pay $10 at the door and get free Tag vodka, take part in a rumoured push-up contest, and slosh around to tunes from DJ Soundbwoy. In the words of the hilarious dudes themselves: “Hype loft party OR vegan cupcakes at your awkward work party. 40 percent more making out than anywhere in the city OR another lonely night with your Macbook pro.” Duh.

This time Dudebox is raising funds for Lauren Pirie and Natalie Boustead’s grassroots arts and environmental collective The About Face Collective’s  current initiative, The Everything Roof. In collaboration with The Annex’s new Centre for Social Innovation, SKETCH: Working Arts for Street Involved and Homeless Youth and Skate4Cancer, About Face’s The Everything Roof will live on the rooftop of CSI.

Local artists and builders will use recycled and reclaimed materials and create an exciting space to promote urban farming, green lifestyles and community engagement. To maximize use of the space, vertical gardens will help things grow upwards. Produce will be sold at farmers markets and be used within community programs. Given the lack of sprawling spaces downtown and shitty soil quality in a lot of backyards (sad face), why AREN’T we using more rooftops as community gardens? Not all of us have the knowledge, space or motivation to grow tomatoes and basil ourselves (mmm, caprese salad…) The concept of community rooftop gardens pretty much solves all those problems, plus has environmental benefits. They can cool the building below, lowering air conditioning bills, and can cool city air in the summer. If a city of 1 million had gardens on every rooftop, it would eliminate the equivalent of 10,000 large cars and trucks every year. Growing and eating stuff locally greatly reduces emissions by cutting out the travel time of shipping the food in.

But first they need to complete their fundraising goal, and you can help by partying your sexy pants off with Dudebox, About Face and many others this Saturday, April 14th! Cool? Good cause, raise funds, fun party, make change.

Dudebox is always looking to connect with local charities to support, so if interested you can reach out to them here.

Check out the Facebook event page with far too many LOL’s and slightly obscene references here: Dudebox Presents: Dirt Mcgirt

~ Becca Lemire | Photo of Lauren and Natalie/About Face by Darlene Huynh/About Face Collective | Party photo of the last Dudebox party by Becca Lemire