Last month, I wrote about community resources for the needy and hungry in our area, detailing my visits to the Bethlehem Center and FoodLink. This month, I continue on that same topic.
VISALIA EMERGENCY AID
The Visalia Emergency Aid Council was founded 80 years ago, and is located at 217 N.E. Third St., Visalia. It is the largest food pantry in Tulare County. This non-profit assists 14,000 families with children and seniors each year. They have a companion 17,000 square foot thrift store located at 620 W. Houston Avenue. The thrift store not only meets the needs of the community with inexpensive appliances, furniture and clothing, but the sale proceeds assist in funding the food pantry. The pantry is open five days a week and the thrift store is open seven days a week. Major donors include Food For Less and Sequoia Beverage. Through a grant from United Way, VEAC has a rental assistance program as well. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, they do food, toy, jacket and blanket giveaways. Once a family’s food stamps and other aid have expired, they can obtain supplemental food assistance one time every thirty days. FoodLink makes deliveries of food supplies to VEAC every week, and various ranches in the area donate oranges, potatoes and other vegetables. Most of the donations to the VEAC stay right here in our community. They welcome donations from yard sales and any furniture and appliances (working or not), and have a truck that will pick up at your home. They have one major fundraiser each year, which is the Race Against Hunger on Thanksgiving day. This event has grown over the last eight years from 250 participants to over 4,000 in 2011. For more information about the VEAC, contact Iris East or Patricia Espinoza at (559) 732-0101 or check them out at www.veac.org.
VISALIA RESCUE MISSION
Next I met with Jessica Ginkel at the Visalia Rescue Mission. I was amazed at everything they offer there, and couldn’t possibly even describe it all in one or two paragraphs. Let me just make a list of their offerings: Rescued Treasures, Simply Chic Boutique, distribution center, soup kitchen, overnight guest shelter, nine-month residential recovery program, men’s shelter, women’s shelter, chapel services, life skills training (including cooking, anger management, money management training), community garden, new 50,000 square foot administrative center with worship center, and soon-to-be-opened information center at Oval Park. The Rescue Mission is supported by forty-four Christian-based churches. As part of their recycling program, they have two trucks and will come to your home to pick up leftover garage sale items or used furniture and appliances. Additionally, they are a certified e-waste recycling center open five days a week. They have a paid staff of fifty-nine employees, full and part time, along with 200 volunteers per week. The evening before I visited, they housed 82 guests overnight. They have 35 people in their ongoing addiction recovery program currently. An individual or family can visit once a month and receive clothing and two food bags. They serve on the average 529 meals per day, including breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Rescue Mission receives little government funding and relies on local donations and contributions. For information, call Jessica or Danny Little at (559) 740-4178 or visit visaliarescue.org.
THE SALVATION ARMY
When most of us think of the Salvation Army, we think of the bell ringers and donation kettles at Christmastime. I met with envoy Jesus Quintanilla, leader of our local Salvation Army church. He indicated that they have been in Visalia since the 1940's. Most of their fundraising is done during the kettle season. However, they accept donations throughout the year of food, clothing and money. In turn, they provide food boxes, clothing vouchers, clothing, furniture and utility assistance to any needy person in the community. They served over 500 families both at Thanksgiving and at Christmas in 2011, by providing food boxes, turkeys, clothing and toys. Envoy Quintanilla mentioned that they are grateful for the assistance of the local Lutheran Church ladies who provide homemade quilts on a monthly basis, the local Breakfast Lion’s Club which donated over 200 turkeys at Thanksgiving time, Smarty Pantz, a local business that assists with children’s clothing, and the Key Club at all four high schools and La Jolla Jr. High which collected canned food. Local businesses which donate food on a regular basis include Panera Bread, Starbucks and Auntie Anne’s. If you have extra food, clothing or money donations which you’d like to make, think of this charitable organization. For more information, call Envoy Quintanilla at 733-2784 or visit their website at www.salvationarmyvisalia.org.
There are many terrific community resources which I don’t have room to write about, including Turning Point, CSET, Family Services and many, many others. As a community and individually, let’s support these wonderful agencies and non-profits.
If you have questions or topics regarding the city which you would like to have addressed in future articles, please email Warren at wgubler@ci.visalia.ca.us, or call (559) 713-4400 x 3313. For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.
Warren Gubler
Visalia City Council Member
