Stories - Share the Spirit

These East Bay organizations were featured in the latest holiday season drive. Read more about them and learn how you can still help.

Please take a moment to help these East Bay organizations this holiday season. Their dedication and hard work have directly helped those in need in the Bay Area community. Read more about them and how you can help:

2024

Share the Spirit 2024: Thank you to these contributors!

East Bay Times readers are again responding generously to the annual effort to help their neighbors in need whose stories are being told in print and online this holiday season. Through January 20, 2025, readers have donated $503,729 to provide much-needed ...

2024

Amid fentanyl crisis, Bay Area health center sees more folks turning away from deadly drug

Donations will help Bay Area Community Health support 350 clients dealing with substance use disorders by offering a variety of services, including testing for opioids, HIV and hepatitis C and providing access to treatment; providing training and access to naloxone ...

2024

How Battle Tested Kids is providing mentorship to the next generation

Donations will help Battle Tested Kids to offer camp to 150 underserved youth, and to support and fund three paid internships for at-risk youth wanting to pursue careers in sports, social media management, photography, web design, entrepreneurship or marketing. Goal: ...

2024

Berkeley organization is a bright light for people with disabilities

Donations will help Easy Does It Emergency Services to provide 150 hours of repair services, plus wheelchair loaners, to seniors and physically disabled adults and expand service into Albany, El Cerrito and Richmond. Goal: $15,000

2024

In the Tri-Valley, Open Heart Kitchen leads to miracles

Donations will help Open Heart Kitchen to operate its Open Heart Refuge shelter, providing overnight shelter for 20 people for 40 nights. Funds raised will help pay for shelter coordinator salaries and program supplies like cots and breakfast items. Goal: ...

2024

When a family’s world falls apart, Concord nursery looks after their kids

Donations will help the Bay Area Crisis Nursery to provide 250 hours of childcare and emergency shelter services to young children ages 0-5 living in poverty with families facing homelessness, domestic violence, medical needs, and other emergencies. Goal: $10,000

2024

Immigration Institute of the Bay Area reunites families across borders

Donations will help the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area provide immigration legal services in the form of legal consultations and legal representations to the low-income immigrant communities in the Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Goal: $20,000

2024

Opportunity Junction inspires self-confidence and career skills for job seekers

Donations will help Opportunity Junction to support 350 Contra Costa County residents and their families. The nonprofit aims to provide students with 50 Thanksgiving meals and 270 $50 holiday gift cards. The remainder will fund paid internship experiences for program ...

2024

Child care isn’t easy. Lincoln Families helps East Bay parents lighten the load

Donations will help Lincoln Families provide emergency assistance to families in need, enabling them to prevent their utilities from being turned off, catch up on back rent, and pay for rental deposits or car repairs where needed. The nonprofit also ...

2024

In this class, your homework is to call a friend or go for a walk

Donations will help the Child Abuse Prevention Council (CAPC) to purchase $200 grocery gift cards for 50 low-income families at risk of child abuse and neglect during the holiday season to use for a special holiday meal, traditional treats for ...

2024

White Pony Express combats East Bay food insecurity

Donations will help White Pony Express expand its 16-school School Pantry Program and begin to reduce its 70-agency waitlist. The program, which currently serves 35,000 children, provides fresh, wholesome, ready-to-eat food at schools where 80% or more of students qualify ...

2024

Nonprofit helps homeless, impoverished East Bay military veterans feel like ‘not just a number’

Donations will support Swords to Plowshares’ Oakland Service Center, which provides direct services for 500 East Bay veterans annually. Funding will help meet 100 veterans’ basic needs by providing emergency housing, food and gas vouchers, hygiene kits, and holiday backpacks. ...

2024

After bouncing between ‘trap houses,’ a family finds a stable place to raise their son

Donations will help Shelter Inc. support the housing needs of 26 individuals in 11 families, including 12 children, for one month of shelter operations costs at its Mountain Valley Family Shelter in Martinez. Goal: $25,000

2024

Meet the Bay Area pet lovers who are battling animal overpopulation

Donations will help Paws In Need to facilitate spay and neuter procedures for 100 dogs or puppies and 125 cats or kittens, for total assistance to 225 animals that would otherwise not receive the proper veterinary care. Goal: $10,000

2024

Meals on Wheels Contra Costa program provides vital connection

Donations will help Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa, Inc. to provide approximately 4,375 nutritious meals to approximately 625 homebound seniors currently enrolled in the program countywide. Goal: $35,000

2024

Turning shelter into homes

Donations will allow Grateful Gatherings to offer full and mini gatherings for 10 households, giving support with moving and transportation expenses and providing families fighting to stay housed with items like new beds, home essentials and furnishings. Goal: $10,000

2024

Early Alert Canines brings ‘peace of mind’ to East Bay family

Donations will support Early Alert Canines‘ training programs and client follow-up initiatives to help individuals with Type 1 Diabetes and their families. The nonprofit offers round-the-clock assistance for the lifetime of the dog, including continuous training, guidance on veterinary care, ...

2024

This nonprofit works to help people with Down syndrome thrive in the Bay Area

Donations will support Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area programs, including the nonprofit’s Communication Readiness Program, support groups, classes, music therapy, educational webinars and workshops, one-on-one consultations, and welcome gift packages containing information for parents and handmade baby quilts ...

2024

Beating addiction and finding purpose in life

Donations to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County will support the purchase of 200 family-friendly gift cards, providing food for approximately 800 people. Goal: $15,000

2024

This Bay Area nonprofit is helping folks with disabilities thrive

Donations will cover staff costs for Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program (BORP) Adaptive Sports and Recreation to offer 100 open hours at its cycling center over four months. Goal: $10,000

2024

From foster homes to Beyond Emancipation

Donations will help Beyond Emancipation support young adults with experience in foster care and their children secure stable, affordable housing by providing holistic support, including life skills, education, and career development services. Goal: $30,000

A look at those we’ve helped throughout the years

Since 1989, Share the Spirit has helped those in need in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties and the rest of the Bay Area by publishing their “Stories” — an in-depth account of their hopes and struggles — in the East Bay Times during the holiday season. Readers responded generously with donations that helped these people and the organization involved. Here are some of those Stories from past campaigns:

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2021
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2023

‘Bags of Hope’ nourish families holding vigil over loved ones in the hospital

Donations will help The Network of Care pay for non-perishable food, packaging and transportation costs to provide 5,000 Bags of Hope to families keeping vigil over sick children at East Bay hospitals.

2023

“Dad, you came!” This Contra Costa nonprofit is helping struggling families thrive

Donations will help the Child Abuse Prevention Council purchase $100 grocery gift cards for 60 families during the holiday season to use for a special holiday meal, traditional treats for children, or basic needs, reducing the extra stress and burden ...

2023

A unique roommate finder helps Bay Area seniors stay in homes

Donations will help Home Match stabilize the housing situation for 30 or more individuals in Contra Costa and Alameda counties by establishing 15 new compatible matches.

2022

Affordable meal delivery service is a lifeline for seniors, and struggling to meet demand

Donations to SOS Meals on Wheels will help pay for special meals for Thanksgiving, Christmas and other cultural holiday celebrations, and also help the nonprofit continue to connect with members of their community and help the seniors keep connected.

2023

After years in the foster system, a young woman gets a room of her own

Donations will help First Place for Youth provide housing, counseling, education and employment support to 140 young adults ages 18-25 in Contra Costa and Alameda counties who are transitioning from the foster care system.

2022

Agency prepares students with disabilities for work in film, media

Futures Explored will use donations to help students pursue their ambitions in film and media. The funds will go toward new equipment and instructor training for the program.

2022

Bay Area food bank staffers work around the clock to keep up with massive demand

Donations will help the Food Bank of Solano and Contra Costa obtain, transport and distribute food to hundred of thousands of people monthly through direct service programs. The food bank says it can provide two meals for every dollar contributed.

2021

Berkeley Food Network battles hunger in COVID era

Berkeley Food Network provides meals to about 5,000 people per week. Donations will help them purchase seasonal holiday foods such as locally-grown organic produce, chickens, butter, eggs, and canned foods for distribution through their mobile distributions and on-site pantry. BFN ...

These East Bay organizations were featured in the latest holiday season drive. Read more about them and learn how you can still help.

Please take a moment to help these East Bay organizations this holiday season. Their dedication and hard work have directly helped those in need in the Bay Area community. Read more about them and how you can help:

Previous Stories

A look at those we’ve helped throughout the years