Our Mission
“Restoring hope through faith and charity.”
Our Vision
is to empower youth and residents to transform their neighborhoods through community service.
The Foundation is dedicated to empowering individuals and communities to uplift the vulnerable, “at-risk” and distressed with hope, encouragement, assistance, education and spiritual growth, providing necessities and nurturing those in need from conception to natural death so individuals and families can unite and become self-sufficient.
Programs
Essentials4Home
During 2019, FFCOF assisted in establishing or supporting indigent residents in San Diego and Imperial Counties by providing household and living essentials. Projects and organizations we worked with included:
New Move-Ins
Poor and disabled clients are referred to FFCOF through ongoing coordination with Catholic Charities’ programs and organizations including Rapid Re-Housing, (San Diego and El Centro), Leah’s Residence (San Diego), House of Hope (El Centro). These programs operate through the common entry system to identify and move people from homeless shelters or at risk situations, such as domestic violence, into long term apartments. FCO in turn, contacts the persons in need, identify essentials to establish their household, and take them shopping to help honor their dignity. Lessons in budgeting and making wise purchasing decisions are part of the multi-hour shopping engagement. Items purchased include essentials for: cleaning, laundry, kitchen, cooking, dishes, microwave, mini-refrigerator, shelving, beds, bedding, and sometimes furniture and essential clothing. The Foundation served 11 adults and 15 kids.
Needs of students’ families
are identified in ongoing coordination with administration, and staff are tasked with assisting in identifying and meeting these objectives (schools currently are in San Diego County). In 2019, FFCOF assisted with uniforms, bus passes and laptop insurance at e3 Civic High School, San Diego. These indigents can remain FCO clients as long as they seek our assistance, particularly with providing for childrens’ needs to attend school. These same families are phoned monthly to invite them to come to the school for a food pantry. Tutoring and a parenting class are also offered by the school during pantry hours. The Foundation engaged approximately 15 indigent families.
Holiday Outreach for Leah’s Residence for disabled or handicapped homeless to establish residency
FFCOF provided stockings filled with essentials, e.g. hand towels, fruit, Vitamin C drops, socks, etc. FFCOF also obtained donations of women's clothing wrapped and labeled by size and toys, selected according to each child’s age and gender and helped wrap, and delivered December 18th for their Christmas party December 19th. The Foundation provided for 27 adults and 4 children.
Essentials4Homeless/Sheltered
During 2019 FFCOF assisted homeless in San Diego and Imperial Counties by providing essentials while sheltered. The homeless indigents we supported at the time these projects took place, resided at the below shelters operated by Catholic Charities:
Annual Holiday Outreach for La Posada de Guadalupe Men’s Interim Housing
FFCOF purchased size specific sweatshirts for these indigent men. FFCOF volunteers marked the sweatshirts by size by tieing with beautiful coordinating ribbon. Donated hardcover novels were wrapped and handed out to the men as we called them by name and gave them their sweatshirt. Gifts were presented to the men at the Annual Christmas Party we put on for them, December 15th, with a Ham Dinner donated by the neighboring community, St. Therese of Carmel parishioners and FFCOF. The volunteer guitarist and singers were a well appreciated addition to all of us singing carols WITH the men. The men are always very grateful for the icebreaker game, noisemakers, homemade Christmas cards with hand written letters of hope inside and gift wrapped homemade cookies. FFCOF also participates in providing, cooking, serving and eating monthly dinners with the men at La Posada. The Foundation 94 indigent individuals.
Annual Holiday Outreach for House of Hope (pregnant women, and children)
Items included socks, underwear, toiletries, clothing and jackets. These items were gift wrapped for each family member, and organized by family with color coordinating bows and gift bags at the workshop Nov 16th. The gifts and Homemade Christmas Cards with Letters of Hope inside, were presented to the women and children at their BBQ with visiting and gift opening, December 7th. The Foundation engaged 15 adults and 19 children.
Annual Holiday Outreach for Rachel’s Walk-In Day Shelter & Services
Christmas cards with a hand written letter of hope inside were offered to guests at the Christmas Party we put on for them, December 12th with a volunteer pianist to accompany us volunteers singing carols WITH the women. The women always are very grateful for the noisemakers, homemade Christmas cards with Letters of Hope inside and gift wrapped homemade cookies. Volunteers serve lunch at Rachel’s Day Shelter twice per mo. The Foundation engaged approximately 50 indigent women.
Annual Holiday Outreach for Rachel’s Night Shelter & Services
FFCOF collected donations and purchased living necessities for 40 women living in the Catholic Charities’ Rachel’s Night Shelter (San Diego, CA). Gifts were set on their cots with their names written in script on their Christmas card with a hand written Letter of Hope inside December 12th. The Foundation engaged 40 indigent women.
Education
Leah’s Lunch Classes
In 2019, FFCOF volunteers started offering monthly educational interactive classes for Leah’s Residence, residential apartments for handicapped, disabled, low income, and homeless individuals and families. The classes support healthy life choices and wellbeing. Lunch is also incorporated into the learning process with guidelines on how to read food labels, nutrition to improve health, proper food handling, efficient food prep, and hands on food preparation. The total people present at the five classes were approximately 60 individuals.
Essentials4Students
School Supplies
The Foundation supported indigent students with backpacks and school supplies at e3 Civic High (San Diego), Our Lady's School (OLS, San Diego), Leah’s Residence Apts. (San Diego), and Lilac Elementary (Valley Center). FFCOF worked with administration to get specific school supply lists for each grade or student, including favorite colors in some cases. The community was invited to the Workshop August 3rd, where the items were sorted and assembled by school and grade. Volunteers hand-decorated labels with the student's name and/or school and attached with sparkling ribbon. An age appropriate Note of Encouragement was put inside with granola bars. We enjoyed meeting some of the students as we handed out the backpacks at OLS two campuses at Back to School Nights and at e3 Civic High. The Foundation engaged 150 indigent students.
Community/Engage
O’Farrell Charter School Garden
FFCOF created an outreach project for e3 Civic High School’s “Outreach Day” where all approximately 400 students volunteer for outreach instead of attending classes for the day… FFCOF identified O'Farrell Charter school serving 1,800 students (San Diego Unified School District) as a recipient for the outreach project. Serving students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, O'Farrell's total minority enrollment is 98%, and 71% of all students are economically disadvantaged. In coordination with administration and staff, the need for work in the garden was identified. More than 20 students from e3 Civic High came for their Outreach Day and assisted O’Farrell students as teachers brought their classes to the garden to work at learning stations that FFCOF created, including composting, building trellises, planting, and garden art. This project engaged approximately 75 individuals.
O’Farrell Charter School Mural
In continued coordination with O’Farrell school administration, FFCOF offered to assist with a community project. In partnering with Art Reach of San Diego, (a non-profit art organization) FFCOF volunteers assisted in planning and obtaining donations of supplies for painting a 10ft x 10ft mural of wings to lift student spirits and encourage students to strive to reach their potential. The work occurred with the involvement of teachers, ART Reach representatives and four O'Farrell 7th grade students who won a competition of designing the wings. This project engaged approximately 75 individuals.
Food Distribution at e3 Civic High School
Starting in September, FFCOF volunteers handed out food monthly to indigent students’ families at e3 Civic High School. This need is identified in ongoing coordination with administration. Staff are tasked with assisting in identifying and meeting families’ needs. (In 2019, FFCOF was accepted as a San Diego Food Bank Non-Profit Partner.) The Foundation served 15 indigent families totaling approximately 60 monthly sized portions of food for families of 3-7 people.