On a cloudy Monday afternoon, dozens of people filtered through Yotopia Frozen Yogurt, 132 S. Clinton St. While that is not uncommon for the local shop, Monday was one of numerous days Yotopia has committed to raising money for local organizations throughout the year.

Yotopia founder Veronica Tessler has raised funds for local groups and organizations for almost six years, reaching close to $12,000. She began hosting fundraisers and donating money shortly after she opened the business. Tessler hopes Yotopia’s efforts will serve to thank the Iowa City community and her bank, MidwesOne, for their aid when she started her business.

“It was a real challenge to even get funding for my shop because I was young and inexperienced, and I wasn’t a franchise,” she said. “The whole experience … reminded me that it definitely takes a village to build something like this shop and a lot of the other things that we see in this community … from our graphic designers to local contractors to local farm that we source our yogurt from.”

Tessler has supported Summer of the Arts, American Heart Association, several sororities’ and fraternities’ philanthropies, and many other organizations.

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Downtown District Director of Operations Betsy Potter said it is important for local businesses to support nonprofits because, ultimately, their support comes back to further enhance the Iowa City community.

“[Businesses are] directly affected by all of the good things that all these nonprofits and charity groups do for the community,” Potter said. “It’s better for our economic development, it’s better for their business, it’s just a better place to be.”

The Monday event, “Froyo for a Cause,” benefited Bur Oak Land Trust, a nonprofit organization that aims to protect and maintain the beauty of the environment. The organization owns 10 properties around Johnson County and is about to close on a 20-acre property in Poweshiek County.

“We are trying to manage our woodlands,” Bur Oak representative Tammy Wright said. “We are trying to keep properties open to the public for hiking, berry picking, mushroom hunting, cross-country skiing, picnicking.”

Bur Oak will use any funds raised for equipment, purchasing land, hosting more fundraisers, and administrative costs. First and foremost, however, it aims to fulfill its mission — protecting land.

“We use the funds to purchase properties in some cases,” Wright said. “Mostly, [the funds] manage the property that we own.”

Yotopia plans to continue “Froyo for a Cause” in partnership with other organizations and student groups in the future.