Monterey Nonprofits and Charities

Monterey's SPCA does incredible work for the community. We can't thank them enough.

From top to bottom this non profit needs to be dismantled and rebuilt. Those smiling faces in the pictures are just that....for the pictures. <br>Staff is rude and belittling. They hate the homeless, are nurdened by us and are entitled privileged women who cookie cutter all of us homeless and sit on false pedestals. <br>They do not comply with ADA laws for service animals even with doctors notes. They serve unhealthy food and refuse to prepare vegetarian dishes and behave as spoiled babies when asked for it. The pictures online are fake...they dont serve that. Every single thing you need is like pulling teeth and you are looked at as a burden even when using please and thank you and stroking their fragile ego's constantly. They behave as if us homeless are disgusting viruses. Clothes closet they are rude and treat you as a prisoner and even begging won't help. Food debris even on clothes. Refuse to give any professional attire even though a few volunteers talk about the huge amount downstairs. Even told, "well we donated all of that to people who really.need it" If you want services you better have 8 hours to sit around all day because they have no sense of urgency and have no clue how many tasks we have to do and how difficult every agency is to serve us. They will not allow women to dye their hair there and seem to not realize ageism is a thing in the workplace. They gaslight constantly and have a attitude of being always right and knowing everything. They prioritize their own parking and make us park blocks away, won't allow our service animals in leaving them in hot cars for hours. Also makes the neighborhood look terrible for some clients are not taught what being stealth is. Active drug users and untreated mentally ill who need to be in facilities sadly are everywhere. Penny who does Haircuts is the exception here, so is the kind woman who does laugh therapy and I am sure others I never met. She even told me there is amazing skin care products down stairs because she saw the sun damage on my face and was concerned. I am.going on 10 years homeless this year. Working and paying taxes 9 of them...I told her we don't get those items and begging will never pay off. None of the other women seem to have basic customer service skills and they need Mary Poppins 101 classes STAT. They play favorites and pick and choose who they want to help. They have been desensitized and will even laugh at women in crisis mode. They have zero knowledge of trauma and ptsd from abuse. They seem to have simple answers to complex issues and it isn't worth wasting your energy to go here. If you have 4 hours to wait around for a $25 gas card once a month....just know in 4 hours one can be a lot more productive. Computers are in the open with no privacy. They don't ask for i.d. when getting your mail. Everything a guest needs seems to be a huge burden to them. They don't hide their angst. It's laughable these pictures of the board of directors online and their staff especially the guy.holding his dog.....what an insult to my service dog. The privilege is disgusting..I honestly didn't even know these people even smile. I am in process of reporting them to multiple agencies. It's non profits like this that keep making our homeless population grow. They are the problem not us homeless who are the scapegoat to the entire Monterey Bay. The stroking of their ego's and claims.of success is just their toxic narcissism. Don't work for thise who suffer if you are seeking pedestals and celebratory dinners and plaques....that's Donald Trump stuff. Where does the money go??? To line their pockets like every other dollar meant to be for the homeless. They need to raise the bar and leave their ego at home. They need to get more organized because their expectations of us homeless are higher than the ones they have for themselves. We lead by example. If you dont kiss butys you are blacklisted and gaslit until you stop coming. Clearly I stopped coming. When history isn't faced it repeats and it's always worth it to stand up for what's right.. <br>Smash the homeless cookie cutter and treat us as individuals. Stop judging our book by the chapter you walked in on. A cage by any other name is still a cage....stand up for animals. It isn't that difficult to.orepare food and make a small.portion meatfree....some.if us actually.love animals and don't eat them. If we were supposed to eat them our teeth would not be flat. False teachings and ignorance make.people not.know ALL nutrients can come from meatless sources. Be kind or be slayed with my words.

The Junior League of Monterey County (JLMC) has been a transformative force in my life, shaping who I am as a leader and how I approach service, community engagement, and personal growth. Joining this dynamic organization ignited a passion for empowering others and provided me with tools and opportunities to step into meaningful leadership roles.<br><br>Leadership Growth<br>As the President of JLMC, I’ve led a group of remarkable, driven women committed to making a difference in our community. This role has taught me the value of collaborative leadership, the importance of listening to diverse perspectives, and how to inspire and mobilize a team around a shared vision. Organizing events like Leadership Day and curating women-focused educational components for our general membership meetings has allowed me to hone my planning, delegation, and public speaking skills.<br><br>Confidence and Empowerment<br>When I first joined JLMC, I saw myself as someone who cared deeply about service but hadn’t fully realized my potential to lead others. Through the mentorship, training, and support within the League, I’ve grown into someone who leads confidently and helps others recognize their potential. Programs like the Mini MBA collaboration with Miami University further expanded my leadership toolkit, enabling me to bring innovative ideas back to JLMC and my broader professional roles.<br><br>Community Impact<br>JLMC has reinforced my belief in the power of civic engagement and collective action. Through our initiatives, I’ve seen firsthand how organized, passionate women can address pressing community needs and create lasting change. This has deepened my understanding of what leadership truly means—it’s not about being at the top but about lifting others and building a stronger, more inclusive community.<br><br>Transformative Relationships<br>Beyond the skills and opportunities, JLMC has been a place where I’ve built lifelong friendships and mentorships. These relationships have been a source of strength and inspiration, reminding me of the value of surrounding yourself with people who challenge and support you equally.<br><br>The transformation I’ve experienced through JLMC is not just about personal growth; it’s about becoming a catalyst for change. JLMC has equipped me to approach leadership with purpose, resilience, and a focus on empowering others—qualities that ripple beyond our League to impact the community we serve. I am eternally grateful for this journey and proud to carry forward the legacy of this incredible organization.

Global Majority provides unique services to local communities on an international scale, from involvement in high schools in Salinas to work with the Mapuche indigenous people of Chile. The organization also has gained a strong reputation for its ability to develop high quality seminars hosted at institutions around the world. It is support by well-respected peacemakers and conflict resolution practitioners from Northern Ireland, South Africa, Colombia, and numerous other countries with a history of violent conflict. Global Majority is an organization that effectively bridges cultures and conflict to promote dialogue.

I have had several disabled children participate in this all volunteer program for over 10 years and am continually amazed at the results produced by the great horses and caring instructors and helpers. I have a daughter with Spina Bifida who was never supposed to walk, start walking at age 8, after a few months of riding. She is now 18 and still rides. I have another child with severe brain abnormalities who has been riding since he was 6 months old. We were told he may never walk. He is now 6 and runs constantly. He still has many sensory issues, but on horseback he is totally relaxed. I have never seen another all volunteer organization with the dedication that brings people out to help week after week. We have student volunteers from middle school, high school, local colleges, and military installations, who provide many hours of service to the program. Many community members and parents also help by providing support and food for the volunteers. All donations are used for equipment, horse care, feed, vet care, and rent. Instructors have paid for their own training and certification from NARHA, and are not paid.

Based in Monterey, CA, The Conservancy for the Range of the Condor is a land trust whose mission is to acquire critical land through purchase or gift, and to permanently protect it through recorded conservation easements. Preferred properties are mostly undeveloped parcels situated adjacent to or near other large tracts of open space. <br><br>Upon acquiring a parcel of critical land, the land trust will hold title and manage it, or will turn it over to another non-profit, or to a government agency such as a park district, depending on what would provide the best outcome for the property and for its denizens. Currently a volunteer run organization, the Range of the Condor is able to operate with minimal administrative costs and overhead, and can collaborate with higher profile land trusts, conservation organization, public agencies, and other nonprofits such as Indigenous Tribes to promote and facilitate responsible and respectful land stewardship.<br><br>The organization is most interested in preserving and expanding areas neighboring the Ventana Wilderness and Los Padres National Forest and along the Condor Trail, which extends from Lake Piru in the southern portion of Los Padres to the northern Big Sur area of the Forest at Botcher’s Gap, near Pico Blanco, a peak revered by local Native American tribes whose watershed forms the Little Sur River, habitat for endangered steeled trout and potentially a wild and scenic river. Both of these gorgeous, unique, treasures remain in private ownership and are unprotected. <br><br>A long range vision is to have the Condor Trail serve as the central feature of a National Heritage Area, a federal designation that can provide potential benefits to the area, its inhabitants and visitors, and its sensitive habitat as explained in the attached you tube video.

Kids Art Museum (KAM) is a new and developing art education organisation in Monterey, CA. <br>We are working on several fundraising campaigns to get the needed capital to lease a building in Monterey and to open the doors of this FREE museum to all and to provide art education to the children. <br>Please visit our website at: https://kids-art-museum.myshopify.com/ <br>Best regards, <br>Sofia Matrosova Khalil, PhD, Director/Founder KAM.

Big Sur Land Trust is an accredited land trust. Accreditation means Big Sur Land Trust meets national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. Big Sur Land Trust has demonstrated to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission its commitment to excellence. Accredited land trusts meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. These land trusts demonstrate their commitment to excellence by adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices, the ethical and technical guidelines for the responsible operation of a land trust, and meeting the accreditation requirements drawn from them. Learn More: http://www.landtrustaccreditation.org/about.

Truly one of the great community based non-profit service providers. Residential drug treatment, out-patient programs, community counseling, Safe Place for at risk youth, drop-in center and years of providing school counseling services, drinking-driver programs, speciality out-reach providers; always ahead of the curve predicting social trends and needs. Exceptionally qualified finance director with nearly 30 years with the agency; a true critical role player in the agency. This agency evolved from Project Aquarius, a grass roots social collective started roughly in the late sixties, to a regional protector/advocate for those always shouldn't have to go it alone. Strong fiscal leadership, dedicated employees, strong executive director and program leaders .