The Sacramento Convoy of Hope is a collaborative effort between dozens of local churches, businesses, social service organizations, local government and Convoy of Hope, Inc—a 501(c)(3) non-profit humanitarian organization, serving in the United States and around the world, providing food for the hungry and relief for people in crisis. For more info, go to: http://sacramentocoh.org/index.php The Sacramento outreach will provide an estimated twenty thousand people with a tangible message of hope — free groceries, clothing, health screenings, job fairs, haircuts, social services, games and activities for children, and much more. All goods and services are provided to guests free of charge. T

Winter Sanctuary, Sacramento’s interfaith, rotating homeless shelter, is currently facing a substantial gap in its budget. The program, which nightly shelters 100 homeless adults, is set to open on December 1st and run through March 31st. However, the program will not be opening on December 1st if the funding gap is not significantly narrowed. Christie Holderegger, Vice President of Volunteers of America, spoke of the urgent need for this program, “Our neighbors are experiencing homelessness for a variety of reasons and many for the first time. They are looking to us, all of us to help them out of this desperate situation. As a community we can reach and uplift them. We saw hundreds of li

Yesterday, Big Brothers Big Sisters launched the “100 Men, $100k, 100 Days” campaign to recruit 100 adult male volunteers to generate awareness for Big Brothers Big Sisters and to raise critically needed funds to support and maintain those new matches (a pairing of a Little and his or her mentor). The campaign will run from Monday, August 22 and end on Wednesday, November 30th. This campaign was created to meet the overwhelming need for both male mentors and funding. There are currently over 100 boys ready to be matched with Big Brothers in our program. The average time for boys waiting to be matched with a Big is one and a half years due to our lack of Big Brother (male) volunteers. In a

Nonprofit organizations are feeling the tightening of belts as much as everyone else, so staying current with giving trends is critical for every charity. Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS) is no exception and now offers an opportunity for supporters to give via their cell phones. Donors can now easily make a $10 contribution by texting SACFOOD to 20222. A one-time donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance*. In less time than it takes to log on to a website and enter your credit card information, you can help make a difference for a family need. You might ask, “What does $10 do?” Well, at SFBFS, it can do a lot: * $10 = 20

Lace up your shoes, Sacramento -- the 17th annual Run to Feed the Hungry is only a few weeks away. Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS) encourages you to be part of a Thanksgiving tradition. The 5K and 10K fun run and walk launches from Sacramento State, 6000 J St., on Thanksgiving morning. With 30,000 participants expected to be involved, you are guaranteed a morning of fun with family and friends. Every week up until then, we will interview a new Run to Feed the Hungry runner. We will ask six different past and present runners the same questions. We have found that people are motivated by many different reasons to be involved in this incredible event. There is still time to

What are you plans for Thanksgiving morning? Start asking around, and you’ll likely hear one answer repeated again and again: “Run to Feed the Hungry.” This event benefiting Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS) is a Sacramento tradition. Families from our town turn out by tens of thousands to take part in the biggest Thanksgiving Day race in the United States. Parents with strollers, professional runners, high school athletic teams and out-of-town guests can all be found sprinting, strolling and jogging their way through East Sacramento. The 5K and 10K fun run and walk is expected to draw nearly 30,000 participants this year. The event, which is owned and operated by SFBFS, ra

Sacramento Steps Forward, an initiative that works to end homelessness in Sacramento County, launched a campaign last week to raise $25,000 to help fund winter shelter efforts this year. In Sacramento, cold and wet weather conditions threaten the lives of the approximately 1,200 homeless men, women and children sleeping outside in the county. Without winter shelter, people experiencing homelessness are at an even greater risk of injuries, illnesses and fatalities. Winter shelter begins in three weeks, on Nov. 22, and will last until March 31, 2011. Historically, winter shelter in Sacramento has been publicly funded. However, budget cuts have significantly decreased funding throughout th

 The Sacramento County Animal Shelter needs your help! Some of you may have been familiar with the old county shelter... built in the 1960's. You may have adopted an animal there or had to take an animal there, either way, you probably remember it as an old, dirty shelter. I myself, having volunteered there, remember it, and all animals who crossed my path there fondly. This year, the new and vastly improved county shelter opened up right near Safetyville off of Bradshaw Road. The new shelter is quite innovative and green! If you have not been there, it is definitely worth the visit. Due to County budgets though, it might be facing problems. The county has come up with a licensing amnesty

 Sacramento, Calif. (May 3, 2010) – Sacramento State Public Relations students and BloodSource have teamed up to save lives. A mobile blood and bone marrow drive will be held on May 3rd and 4th in the University Union Ballroom from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.   The Public Relations student have organized the  “Unite to Save Lives” Health Fair that will be held outside the University Union from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM on the same days. Entertainment will be provided, including live music from 106.7 THE END, 98.5 Rock and 106.5, and a performance from Sacramento King dancers.   BloodSource is a local blood bank, providing blood for nearly 40 hospitals in 25 Northern California counties. To meet th

deVere's Irish Pub has become a local favorite, a place to unwind after work and grab a pint! Well did you know that owners, Mark, Simon and Henry are son's of UC Davis Cancer Center Director, Ralph deVere White?  The quest to find a cure is not a new cause for the boys who grew up watching their dad fight this disease on the front lines as a cancer surgeon.  So what does a popular pub and childhood cancer have in common? deVere's will host a St. Baldrick's head-shaving celebration on Monday, March 15 from 5-8pm! The challenge is to BE Brave and GO Bald! Pledges are raised and in exchange those brave souls will shorn! All to raise life-saving research dollars for Childhood Cancer. Keaton

The holidays are quickly approaching and it's time to help those in need. Help make this Thanksgiving one families will cherish. Pay it forward by donating food items at the following locations: Sacramento City Hall - 915 I Street (All Floors) Historic City Hall - 915 I Street (Main Lobby) Community Development Dept. - 300 Richards Blvd (Main Lobby) City of Sacramento Public Safety Building - 5770 Freeport Blvd (Suites 100 & 200) Sacramento Metro Chamber - 1 Capitol Mall The Drive runs until November 18th, 2009. Contact us at 808-6789 for more information.

I'm the first Community Editor for The Sacramento Press, but my full time work is in the social services. I have the sometimes heartbreaking opportunity to learn the intimate details of people's lives- particularly their financial lives. Did you know there are people living in Sacramento who are not at all equipped to weather any hardship? For example, I routinely help people who have an income of $800 a month, and their rent is $500. And they just had a joint replaced at 73 years old. Or they need an anti-biotic that is not covered by Medi-Cal. So they can't pay SMUD this month. And then next month SMUD's $40 instead of $20, and with last month's problems and getting behind....and you cou