Over the last 18 plus years... Coast Hope has bloomed! I guess it was the change of the people in charge. But it is amazing! There are plentitude of volunteers, things actually get done The people on the coast side are lucky nowadays to have it.
The center is far more involved in the community than it ever was prior to the change of those running it.
Kudos!
Twenty-two years ago I became a volunteer with Coastside Hope's Adopt-A-Family Program during the holidays. I started out wrapping presents which I don't like to do. I made the comment that "this program is so great, more people need to know about it". After that I volunteered to help with publicity about the program and it's other services. The organization is a lifeline for those in need. The needs of course are always increasing, especially now. Twenty-two years later I still am helping with the Adopt-A-Family program and getting the word out about what they do all year long to help people. It is a wonderful organization that gives from the heart and inspires others to do the same. - Cheryl S.
Coastside Hope is manned by an amazing and dedicated staff and volunteers, who not only give of their time but generously share their own good fortune to insure that Coastside Hope can fulfill it's mission to help those in need along the coast. In good times and bad Coastside Hope is there with its hands outstretched for anybody in need and provides a growing range of services; to those most in need all along the coast. I remain continually impressed by the selfless efforts of Coastside Hope.
Coastside Hope's (Coastside Opportunity Center) food pantry has grown from a couple of small shelves in a broom closet to what it is today. A program that provides groceries to hundreds of low income families on the Coastside on a regular basis. A program that prevents these families from having to make the difficult decision of buying food or paying for other critical necessities.
Coastside Hope is a beautiful example of a community looking after its own. I got involved when our church was approached to collect much needed hygiene items for folks in our town needing these basic items. If we all share a bit, it can make a huge difference to many. We asked a representative from Coastside Hope to come to our women's retreat and explain the needs and how simple contributions truly count. We were inspired by the speaker and hope to have an ongoing church drive for requested goods. Adora Palmer
I became an active volunteer with Coastside Hope after a friend asked me to answer these "what ifs"......What if I couldn't afford food for my family? What if I couldn't afford clothes for my family? What if I couldn't provide shelter for my family? What would I do? Fortunately for my family and me, these "what if'’s are not real. But for some coastside families they are harsh realities. I found though that for these families there can be hope……through the services of Coastside Hope, and so I volunteered. Be it through our monthly food harvest, emergency shelter and rental assistance services, crisis intervention and referral services, clothing vouchers, Christmas Adopt a Family program, or our citizenship services, Coastside Hope brings hope for a better, more secure future to the working poor, the needy, low income families and seniors. In so doing we touch the lives of well over three thousand men, women and children every year. And in so doing we who volunteer are rewarded by the gift of giving......of giving hope.
I have volunteered at Coastside Hope for the last five years. I have been impressed with the combination of professionalism and concern shown to the participants in the programs offered. The staff shows respect and willingness to listen to all who come for help. In these difficult economic times the need for organizations to help families and individuals increases . Coastside Hope is a organization which fills many of these needs in this coastside community. Beth Bryant
Charitable work on the Peninsula is often recognized for the great work being done in aiding and assisting the less fortunate in the area. What goes forgotten is the work of Coastside Hope in the Half Moon Bay area. The work is far ranging, but best of all is their aid to workers of the area who have run into hard times and need some help. Although funding is less than that other organizations, the staff and volunteers do a job far in excess of the operating budget. What I like best is the involvement of citizens in their community.
I LOVE Coastside Hope! I love the way the organization, staff and volunteers treat their clients with dignity and true friendship. I love the service Coastside Hope provides to a community of clients who sometimes need the compassionate caring of a safety net to get them past hard times. I love Coastside Hope because it offers me a way of paying back in a small way those members of our Coastside community who by their service in our fields, and nurseries and hotels and restaurants give to me and my family this wonderful Coastside they help maintain. I LOVE Coastside Hope.
Coastside Hope is inclusive..... It includes all people who need support, whether it be with housing, food, clothing or being taken care of in time of need,…….. or to remember the needs of others….. Coastside Hope invites people who have enough to share themselves with others, and reach out and take care of their neighbors in a way that honors the dignity and integrity of all human beings....Coastside Hope gives people the opportunity to remember their connection with one another….to connect people with people, so we remember we are here for one another.
Coastside Hope provides dignity to whose families struggling to survive, paycheck to paycheck, if a paycheck at all that week. The more our family becomes aware of the needs of the "other culture" on the Coastside the more we appreciate the efforts of all the staff and volunteers at Coastside Hope. They are wonderfully dedicated to the mission of the organization and the organization does so much for the Coastside Community.
“One morning recently I was walking on the Coastside Trail. It was a beautiful morning, and I was thinking about how lucky I was. For no particular reason, I wandered off the trail toward a group of evergreen trees. As I got closer, what I saw next broke my heart. A child sat like a stone, facing the sun, waiting for his/her parents to return.What should I do? Should I approach the child, invite them back to my home, feed them, bathe them, find some clean clothes? Or should a just mind my business and keep on walking? I kept walking, telling myself that I would scare the child, and ten other excuses to calm my fears and soothe my guilt. This is why I am passionate about Coastside Hope. I want all families to have affordable housing, a decent wage and enough food to eat. I want to do what I can to level the playing field and bring economic equality to the Coast.”
I love Coastside Hope! I am a volunteer for the newly formed Special Delivery Program. I am one of 25 donor families who is matched up with a family in need. Each month we purchase $35 worth of household supplies such as toilet paper, laundry detergent and even tampons. When I let myself think about what it would be like to be without these basic things, I tear up every time. Coastside Hope is there for these families in so many ways including offering emotional support that makes this difficult process in their lives as dignified as possible. I am grateful that Coastside Hope exists and am passionate about expanding services that will support those less fortunate with everything they need to be independent and able to pursue their dreams.