Nonprofits Help Many At Holidays And Beyond

The holiday season is one of the busiest times of year for the many nonprofits who seek to help the less fortunate with food and services.

The need doesn’t stop after the Holiday season, however. Throughout the year, charitable organizations like Mission Solano and Salvation Army's Kroc Center reach out to the hundreds of families in the area that need a helping hand.

“The realities are that the need is so tremendous right now that we, at times, are just completely overwhelmed by the amount of need that exists,” said Jonathan Harvey, Salvation Army Captain.

Harvey said the Salvation Army sees a lot of families requesting assistance in January, after the holidays are over. He said often times household incomes are dramatically reduced because of seasonal employment. The summer months are also among the busiest times of the year for Salvation Army. Ironically, this is also the time when donations from supporters are along the lowest levels.

“The summer months tend to be a time when need is high and income is low,” Harvey said.

Year round, the Salvation Army looks to coordinate with many other nonprofits as much as possible. They often times work with Mission Solano, to make sure they are able to reach as many in need as possible. They also run a program called Relief for Energy Assistance Through Community Help, or REACH, that helps struggling families who are in danger of having their heat and gas turned off pay their utility bill.

“The Salvation Army is seen very clearly during the holidays with the red kettles outside stores, but our work doesn’t stop just because Christmas is over,” Harvey said.

Mission Solano has various programs to help families, as well. Their residence assistance facility, Bridge to Life, offers not only safe dwellings for those that stay there, but a community of help with employment and health services. They also offer temporary night time shelter, showering, counseling and hot meals at their Travis Street location throughout the year. Chief Operations Officer, Rod Malloy said Mission Solano frequently works with Salvation Army throughout the year, as well.

“We view it as a partnership, not working independently,” Malloy said.

Earlier this fall, Mission Solano was faced with a food shortage due to a dramatic decline of donations and broken freezer in which some food items had to be thrown away.

Malloy said a donor gave the organization another freezer and there have been some increases in donations toward the end of October. Still, the nonprofit needs a walk-in freezer to hold adequate amounts of food for the families they serve, at this time of year, and looking past that, he said.

“It’s really tough for many people in our community with the impact of the economy,” Malloy said. “We see that in the people we serve but it’s also people that support us. It’s impacted them as well.”

Both the Salvation Army and Mission Solano work to get the word out about the great services they provide. Malloy said Mission Solano has fundraisers such as an annual golf tournament, and their upcoming Solano Turkey Trot. The organization also sends newsletters to keep previous donors up to date on the latest events, as well as share information on how individuals have benefited from the services provided.

The Salvation Army Kroc Center reaches out to their supporters by frequent updates on their Facebook page. They also have a new Twitter account and Harvey said it is important to keep ties with those in the community that help.

“We’re trying a lot of new things,” Harvey said.

For more information about Mission Solano, including how you can help this season and beyond, visit their website.

For more information about Salvation Army's Kroc Center, including what they are doing this season, visit their website.