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BUILDING A 2008 Spring Appeal Types of Funds
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2008 SPRING APPEAL As with our faith, if our charity does not lead to action, it is meaningless. For the past thirty years Episcopal Charities has responded to the call of men, women, and children, who are broken in body and spirit and has helped turn their sorrow into joy. During that time your gifts totaling more than $3,000,000 have changed the circumstances of many individuals and families with children from despair to hope. We deeply appreciate your support. Now more than ever as families and individuals are affected by tightening credit, lost jobs and foreclosed homes, please consider an additional gift inspired by the stories in this appeal letter. Your donation can provide hot nutritious meals to those who suffer with hunger and have given up hope. Having plenty to eat is a major concern in the Bay Area and afflicts people without According to the 2005 U.S. Census, almost 150,000 San Franciscans live at or near the poverty line, which means that nearly one in four children and one in five adults live with the daily threat of hunger. Whether a needy individual experiences hunger once a day or once a month, the indignity of hunger profoundly affects physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Episcopal Charities works with agencies to address the problem of hunger. When faced with paying the rent, buying gas to get to work, or buying food, it's food Since 2002 Open Heart Kitchen (OHK) has increased the number of meals it serves from 26,779 to over 175,000. Through OHK's connection with St. Clare's Episcopal Church, Pleasanton, Episcopal Charities gave a grant to help serve hot meals to individuals, families, and low-income seniors in the Tri-Valley Area of Livermore, Dublin and Pleasanton. For Beverly, a food recipient at St. Gregory's, the food is a blessing that allows her to The need for food is so great in the San Francisco Bay Area, where housing costs mean that even working families go hungry, that fifty-four Episcopal churches in the diocese offer food programs. For example St. Gregory's of Nyssa, San Francisco, opened a food pantry in 2002 and today distributes free groceries to over 500 hungry families every Friday. Episcopal Charities helped another San Francisco Episcopal Church, St. Francis, start their food pantry, which today serves 150 families a week, three times more than when they started in 2002. George, a 42-year-old veteran, lost his job because of company cutbacks George ended up hungry and homeless in Alameda County. He was told that Berkeley Food and Housing Project (BFHP), a partner agency and grantee of Episcopal Charities, served hot meals daily. George attended the Quarter Meal dinner, where 500 individuals are served each week, and learned of the housing opportunities at BFHP. Today he lives in transitional housing in Oakland and has stabilized his income. Seniors living at Oak Center Towers with very little disposable Oak Center Towers, a federally sponsored housing program of Episcopal Senior Communities, received a grant from Episcopal Charities to start a healthy breakfast program for their seniors. Residents start the day with a nutritious meal, enjoy the social company of others, and learn the importance of healthy eating in the comfort of their home. Beyond providing food to the hungry through partner agencies and parish outreach programs, your donations support additional programs that provide shelter, education, job training, and guidance and counseling to those suffering from mental, physical, and emotional problems. Episcopal Charities is grateful for conscientious and compassionate donors like you who support our fundraisers, appeals, and contribute planned gifts. Close to 40,000 individuals are impacted by your donations annually. Today there are more mouths to feed, more people without safe and secure housing, more families and individuals without healthcare, and more children who suffer from the lack of a nurturing home. Your gift brings hope and lays the foundation for brighter futures. Make a Donation to Episcopal Charities
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