Share the Spirit 2022 stories. Thank you for reading these stories of help and hope.
Winter Nights Family Shelter helps homeless get back on their feet
By RACHEL HEIMANN MERCADER | Bay Area News Group It was one thing after another. Lea Esqueda had two little mouths to feed, along with her aging mother, when she lost her job. Esqueda found brief refuge at an aunt’s ...
This veteran wanted a career change. Swords to Plowshares steered her toward a new job on California’s frontlines.
By ELIYAHU KAMISHER | Bay Area News Group It has been a whirlwind few years for Jessie Kohgadai. In January 2020, she had an unfulfilling desk job in Oakland. So she quit and found temporary work at Walgreens, unsure of ...
Sunflower Hill more than just a home for those with special needs
By JON BECKER | Bay Area News Group PLEASANTON — Della Dixon had always felt out of place, as if she didn’t belong. Growing up developmentally disabled in an abusive household and then bouncing in and out of the foster ...
ShowerHouse Ministries changing lives one shower at a time
By JOAN MORRIS | Bay Area News Group Jimmy Burris never thought he’d be homeless. A cascade of bad decisions mixed with bad luck meant he became one of thousands of people who live on the streets, unable to look ...
Affordable meal delivery service is a lifeline for seniors, and struggling to meet demand
By ALEX SIMON | Bay Area News Group SAN LEANDRO — Majorie Ritchie is 98 years old and perfectly willing to share the secret to her longevity. “I am so attached to this house — that’s the reason I’m still ...
Contra Costa County nonprofit offers immigrants hope through day labor, small business programs
By JAKOB RODGERS| Bay Area News Group It only took minutes for Marvin Saravia to go from budding entrepreneur to unemployed handyman. What began as a quick errand inside a Concord Home Depot store in September 2021 ended when he ...
Saint Vincent’s Day Home is a lifeline for struggling East Bay parents
By MARISA KENDALL | Bay Area News Group Sherie Williams was working a job she loved and approaching the home stretch of parenthood, with two pre-teens and a 19-year-old, when her life was turned completely upside down. Her sister, who ...
Legal aid nonprofit firm helps seniors in big ways
By GEORGE AVALOS | Bay Area News Group OAKLAND — Ms. EMaia recalls how she burst into tears when she witnessed a judge’s ruling over a guardianship fight that had become a daily ordeal for her. The Oakland resident had ...
