Community Action Marin

I recently started volunteering with this organization. Already I am impressed with the breadth of services they offer, the professionalism of the administrators, and the friendliness of everyone I have met. I look forward to exploring the many ways I can help the community with Community Action Marin.

This organization has a great mission of providing anti-poverty, social-economic equity services. Values such as racial equity, trauma-informed care, and food justice are ingrained into its practices. I am happy and proud to work as a volunteer and be a part of it.

Community Action Marin (CAM) is leading the way to advance public health services by applying the whole family approach to support and lift underserved families. I first learned about Community Action Marin through my search for a non-profit board position. I evaluated many non-profit organizations that support underserved communities. Many non-profit organizations focus on one or two aspects of the social determinants of health (i.e. education, health access, housing) but very few that apply a whole family approach like Community Action Marin.

I grew up in public housing and was the first person in my family to receive education. Decades later I achieved professional success despite my upbringing. It's my goal to dedicate time to serve on a non-profit organization that focuses on lifting underserved families. I feel fortunate to have found Community Action Marin. The mission of CAM aims to break the barriers for underserved families to become independent so that they can meet their basic needs and thrive. CAM's mission resonates with me and very much aligns with mine.

I reached out to Chandra, Community Action Marin's CEO to share my story and offer my service to the board. I learned how Chandra transformed Community Action Marin, created the integrated 'whole family approach' and brought identity, unity and most importantly impactful outcomes to the underserved communities in Marin! Chandra built an exceptional team who tirelessly navigates state and federal agencies, manages providers, listens to community members and serves the needed families on a daily basis. Watch one of the recorded community feedback sessions and you will know what I mean.

In addition to Chandra, I met with Jeff Babcock, Chairman of the board, and Mike Smylie, member of the Board, and both were passionate about the services Community Action Marin provides. Learning that board members spent time to shadow Community Action Marin staff on the field solidified my commitment to contribute to CAM's board. The process is still ongoing and I know that I will support and cheer CAM in every possible way!

I have volunteered for Community Action Marin for 3.5 years. My experience volunteering with them has been the most rewarding experience of my adult life. The 200+ dedicated staff members work tirelessly every day to attain Community Action Marin’s mission: to make it possible for underserved people to achieve well-being by providing the education, mental health, and vital services they need to live and thrive in Marin County. They are Marin County’s largest non-profit human services provider servicing over 7,000 households each year. No one is turned away that need their services. So many deserving adults, children, seniors, military veterans, disabled and unhoused individuals are blessed to have Community Action Marin "In their Corner"!

I have had the honor to work as a photographer and event volunteer with CAM and attend a number of their events, and I am consistently moved—not just "impressed" or "appreciative," but truly moved—by their passion, their conviction, and the impact their work has here in Marin County. I've met members of their leadership team and board and felt their unwavering commitment to their cause—I've also met recipients of their services whose lives were transformed (maybe saved), moving from homelessness, poverty, and mental crises to homes, jobs, and renewed self-esteem. CAM's mission—especially in a county where such income disparity persists—is vital to the wellbeing of thousands of our neighbors. And the programs they run to raise awareness, raise funds, and battle this disparity in our local community are amazing—efficiently executed and truly life-changing.

Community Action Marin provides holistic, transformative support for individuals and families in Marin County. Through a whole-family approach, CAM provides essential services in high-quality early childhood education, economic opportunity, food security, and housing stability. While CAM is the largest social services non-profit in the county, the agency remains nimble and hyper-responsive to the needs of the community. Racial and economic justice are at the heart of CAM’s mission, fueling a vision for equity and dignity for all. I'm proud to be part of an organization bringing tangible change and renewed hope to our community.

CAM is on the frontlines every day supporting those experiencing poverty, racism, and income inequality. I am proud to be an employee of this organization that is shifting the narrative about poverty, building power with people, delivering high quality services and advocating for systems change.

As someone who has built, funded, administered, and evaluated human service programs in the public and nonprofit sectors, I am singularly impressed with the breadth and depth of the services Community Action Marin (CAM) provides the county it serves. Most importantly, each of these services provides critical supports for the most pressing needs that low income, unhoused or precariously housed, and high need individuals and families face. Given its whole family approach to assessing need and delivering services, its agency-wide focus on embedding Success Coaches throughout its program offerings, and its extensive network of community partners, CAM is in the enviable position of being able to help almost any Marin resident in need. Because this organization receives funding from all levels of government, private foundations, local businesses, and individual donors, it has become expert at tracking spending, service delivery, and client outcomes in whatever format is required.

As a new staff member at Community Action Marin, what drew me to the agency were the comprehensive programs and services that we provide, and that we meet people where they are to work alongside them to achieve their dreams. As one of the county's largest employers, Community Action Marin has a dedicated staff that provides high-quality, people-centered programming and support. Our work is so personal to me. As a daughter of immigrants and a proud graduate of a Head Start preschool program, my family and I benefited from community assistance programs to get us through the tough times and onto a path to prosperity. So grateful for the work that Community Action Marin does in our community each and every day.

I've been a board member for almost two years and I have to say I had no idea of the breadth and depth of Community Action Marin's activities when I first started. I had thought of them principally as the provider of Head Start in Marin County, but their work in supporting people's utility expenses, keeping people housed, helping the unhoused obtain housing, supporting young people coming out of foster care, preparing meals for children, families and seniors...the list goes on. And the level of staff dedication and accomplishment is staggering. The "Action" in this agency's name is real.

Excellent nonprofit that excels using a "whole person/whole family" approach—helping people create better lives over time for themselves and their families.

I am honored to work at a non-profit committed to building equity where the community needs it most: housing, food, education, pay... CAM has impacted countless lives through relentless advocacy and high-quality services. CAM remains rooted in the community while reaching above and beyond with vision and courage.

I have the privilege working with an organization that I was once a recipient of. I stand behind their mission and how they serve the community. This is an organization that really makes a difference in other people's lives. I highly recommend Community Action Marin!

As both a beneficiary and a member of this agency, I can genuinely express my joy in being part of an organization that wholeheartedly commits to serving our community. Having witnessed the agency's remarkable journey, if fills me with pride to be associated with a team that continually strives on making a positive impact on the lives of those we serve.

Community Action Marin is working on a workforce pipeline called ECEPTS, which welcomes existing employees and potential employee candidates into the career path of Early Care and Education. In the face of a national teacher shortage, Community Action Marin is empowering and including everyone into their workforce recruitment and retention efforts.

I've had the absolute pleasure in volunteering with Community Action Marin for almost a year and I wish I knew of them earlier. I feel so fulfilled being a part of a community that is actively putting effort behind their mission. The people that make this happen are just as special as the impact they're making. Everyone has been so kind and genuine; I feel included and heard. I really appreciate that I can ask for more challenging responsibilities and my team is always willing to include me in more challenges or areas of support.

OK we're just at community action. Marin has been very helpful and instrumental while I've been in a challenging transition. Two times they have been helpful in recent months I strongly feel as a 52 year old consumer, that there's a lot of really good people down there working really hard overloaded with the amount of citizens that come to community action Marin looking for help in a variety of ways I'm very appreciative and grateful that a resource like community action Marin exists due to the amount of people looking for help versus staff available, and sometimes the funds that are waiting to be received to help people community action. Marin is in a constant state of flux and juggling and re-prioritizing based on specific individual variables of any applicant. This isn't a very difficult task. Especially given the nature of situation's they're dealing with to help people with patience, understanding and supporting their efforts. I have found that the people working there and I believe has a whole organization. The culture really cares about helping every citizen possible. Thank you very much to all the staff for your efforts, your passion and effectiveness to helping every day citizens, and their challenging time of need.

At the end of June, I proudly became a member of the board of directors of Community Action Marin.
One of the reasons for joining the board of this amazing organization was their incredible work and commitment to addressing financial inequity in Marin County. One of my commitments as a mental health provider is to address the structural inequities that contribute to individuals’ and communities’ mental health difficulties. Community Action Marin aligns with this commitment and I am proud to serve as a board member.

An amazing organization in our organization, making direct impact with services to the most vulnerable members of our community. If you look behind the Farmer's market, the Ritter center or the foodbank, CAM is there.

I had been actively looking to join a board that is doing impactful work in Marin County, and Community Action Marin is it! Community Action Marin is working to reduce poverty and increase equity in Marin County both through on the ground programs and policy & advocacy. The staff team designs their work according to what the community needs and wants and sets measurable targets. Community Action Marin is a terrific investment for anyone wanting to see a more equitable Marin County.

Community Action Marin is an asset to the community. It offers individuals so many worthwhile services, as well as offers helpful referrals, to those in the underserved population. They work hard, to educate individuals on what services are available to them, in so many different areas. Community Action Marin has a very knowledgeable & caring staff, as well as volunteers who care to make a difference in the lives of clients. As a resident of Marin Co. it gives me so much pride in my community, to know that CAM is here to serve and help those in need. Anyone of us could end up in a situation or life crisis, where help and guidance is needed. It's nice to know that CAM is here!!

I have witnessed firsthand the wonderful work CAM has done to help our community. The employees and volunteers make up a caring and professional team which is dedicated to making Marin County a better place for everyone. They listen and act upon the individual needs of the client whether childcare, financial or food support, just to name a few of the services offered. Thank you CAM for being a strong and trusted ally to all the residents of Marin.

I joined the Board of CAM this year and am so glad that I did. I see every day the impact they're making on the lives of families in Marin County and am thankful for the deep collaborations they build to make our community a better place to live.

Hola quiero dar las gracias por este gran apoyo que he recibo de parte de su agencia , es una excelente agencia que apoya a muchas familias de muy bajos recursos económicos, muchísimas gracias me ayudaron mucho.

I am a mother of 4 and if it wasn't for CAM I am not sure what I would have done. They have helped me grow as a person not only thru their support and resources but with my kids and their needs and wants. Thank you CAM for making me the person I am today.

Hi my name is Brenda and I am a mother of twins who attended this day care for 2 years. This day care is amazing they taught my twins so many new things. They treated my kids with so much kindness and love. My kids would come home very excited and tell me about everything they did. Really recommend this day care ! So glad my kids went here and really happy and appreciate the teachers for their work !

Community Action Marin is an amazing agency which tries to help each family with problems the family has by giving information to them if they can't help directly.

The services I have received from CAM have been varied and literally life-changing. The staff has offered me expert guidance, tools, financial expertise, financial support, housing, employment guidance and support, food source information, clothing assistance for work interviews, mentoring, and cheerleading when the going got tough. I would not have been able to move into my apartment four years ago were it not for them. I would give them the highest marks possible because they are excellent. They were, and continue to be, like family to me all these years later.

I have observed and worked with CAM over the past 18 months. I have witnessed their impressive growth in resources as well as in impact in the community - particularly during the pandemic. I have seen the impact of CAMs leadership and continual development of critical programs like childcare and workforce entry. Although unseen by most, CAM's internal development in terms of pay equity, diversity, training and organizational development are key steps required to make the organization and its programs strong and sustainable. CAM is poised to serve as an even more critical support for the unheralded workers and community members who quietly support the local economy.

I have been an active member in the community for 3 decades, having served in various volunteer leadership roles and in those years I have almost never seen such a capable leader as the CEO of Community Action Marin (CAM). CAM is a pillar of the community and like several large nonprofits in the area, CAM is a complex organization managing to do a tremendous amount of good with the limited resources it has. Having first class leadership managing critical nonprofits is essential. The community needs CAM is serving is broad and deep and it is essential for nonprofits to take the (relatively) limited resources it has to maximize the services it provides is crucial and CAM does just that.
CAM is a GREAT NONPROFIT.

Dennis Ryan

I am an expert in the web analytics space. I was excited to utilize my expertise to help CAM better understand their website traffic. Of course, the end goal was to better understand those they server, so they can better serve them.
The team I worked with was very grateful for my help. I only mention this as I have found gratitude a very important emotion when serving and dealing with other humans. A grateful team leads to a great organization that can/will do wonderful things for the community.
I whole-heatedly believe CAM mission of helping people get on their feed, by providing the needed services and support to help people help themselves and find/feel their individual worth. This helps individuals (and families) by:
1) providing a safety net
2) helping them out of unforeseen/unfortunate/undesirable situations

Having lived in San Rafael, I came upon Community Action Marin a few years ago and have become very familiar with the transformative impact the organization has on the lives of so many in Marin County. The variety of programs and services offered by Community Action Marin is telling of its commitment to be there to support those in need in the community. Their focus on a whole family approach in service delivery helps to ensure that those seeking help receive all of the support they need - there is no wrong door to find the help you need. Whether it's Safety Net services, Children & Family services, Economic Opportunity and Workforce Development, Mental Health services or food insecurity, Community Action Marin provides quality services that impact thousands of lives each year in Marin County.

I started to get involved with the various programs and services Community Action Marin offers at the start of the pandemic, when I was looking for ways to help our communities in Marin. Soon after I met Chandra and was impressed by her leadership and the strategic growth she has taken the organization through, as well as the laser focus on equity and social justice, which I deeply care about. What makes CAM stand out is that they put family needs and services at the heart of their programs and work. The combination of grass roots and strategic focus inspired me to join the Board. I hope to use my professional to help bring more awareness to the wealth gap in Marin, and help bring more key services to those who need it most. I am grateful to be part of this organization.

I am proud to serve as a member of the Board of Community Action Marin. The leadership and staff at CAM are committed to serving the neediest in Marin including low-income families and their children and the unhoused. The work is done with care and respect with a focus on equity and inclusion that meets those we serve where they are in their respective lives. As a Board member, I have seen CAM evolve and grow to become a centralized resource in the community with services that are easy to find, access and utilize that recognizes the different cultures and languages of those we serve. It is a great time to support and work with CAM.
-Roger Crawford
CAM Board President

As someone who lives in Marin County, and from a professional standpoint has volunteered and worked in the nonprofit world, I am very impressed with Community Action Marin and all they do. Not only does the organization provide a safety net program to help out low-income Marin families undergoing a financial emergency, but they provide services that pave the way for these families to achieve better outcomes in the future. Services like workforce development provide coaching and job training programs that helps them prepare for positions where they can support themselves and their families. The number of people they help, the length of time their employees stay with the organization, the fact that they train people who have experienced mental health challenges of their own to become Peer Support Specialists, and the positive feedback they get from their clients, say it all. I’m in awe of all that Community Action Marin accomplishes and the difference they are making, and will continue to make for people in my own backyard.

As a volunteer and donor, I am proud to be involved in such an important and effective community organization. It’s important to me to invest myself in causes that help people in my backyard. CAM knows the issues and provides help to solve urgent problems large and small, from helping people with food to advocating for new laws and policies. I’m grateful for what they do.

Community Action Marin consistently shows up for our community in ways that are deeply humanizing and aligned with immediate needs. From volunteer driven food delivery during the pandemic to financial literacy training aimed at wealth accumulation to working to redesign the ECE sector for the benefit of children and the women of color who work in the sector, their efforts are essential for our community.

Community Action Marin is the real deal. An organization with wide-reaching programs that meet people where they are. Those that are struggling with the most basic building blocks of life -- like food, housing, employment, mental health, and childcare receive the kinds of hands-on support they need. But it goes beyond straight services. CAM leadership has the vision and collaborative thinking that will help make Marin County a place in which everyone has an opportunity to thrive.

I worked collaboratively with Community Action Marin for 30 years while I was a manager in the Marin County Dept of Health and Human Services. I appreciated their flexibility in delivering a very wide range of services to Marin residents. They were always willing to step in and support the community in whatever way they could. After retiring I happily joined the Board of Directors to support the agency. I felt was the very best way for me to continue to support so many meaningful programs s in Marin. I have not been disappointed. In the last few years CAM has expanded and improved their services based on the surveyed needs of the community. They are well recognized and successful which leads many Marinites to their door seeking and receiving the best of services. Community Action Marin deserves acknowledgment for their very hard and smart work.

I first became aware of Community Action Marin in 2016 when I was researching nonprofits in the San Francisco Bay Area; my purpose was to identify an organization that I might want to support, either as a Board member, or in an advisory role. I was impressed with the level of early childhood education they provide in Marin County. It was also clear that they were in the process of expanding services at a time when government support was declining. Over the last several years CAM has siginificantly increased not only the direct services it provides, but also joined with other nonprofits to initiate new programs.

I first heard of Community Action Marin in 2018 when I learned about the important work they were doing in our county. The sheer number of resources CAM offers to those who need it most is so impressive and the fact that CAM does it with such rigor is even more impressive. The impact they bring to our community every day of the week means everything and the dedication of the CAM staff is inspires all that come across them. I am honored to be on this Board and honored to represent the great work the agency does!

I have volunteered for Community Action Marin for over 6 years and am continually amazed at the opportunities created for clients, staff, and volunteers around advocacy and community. Chandra inspires us to give more, laugh more, and all work hard towards a future of neighbors helping neighbors, people helping people. I can't imagine a better role for the agency than to bring people together around community.

Community Action Marin has been an integral community resource in a county experiencing significant wealth inequality.

The variety of programs and services offered by CAM are representative of this organizations strive to improve the livelihoods of the people it serves.

CAM’s long lasting relationships with partners in the community has helped in identifying at risk populations affected by the COVID pandemic.

It’s an insightful experience being able to serve on CAM’s Board of Directors and continue to see the dedication of its Staff towards providing quality services with dignity and compassion.

Community Action Marin’s programs and staff have contributed to the well being of the children, families, and people of Marin for over 50 years. They have Children and Family Services, Safety Net Services, and Mental Health Services, just to name a few. They are collaborative in the support they give, and really live their motto that “We’re in your corner”.

One of the specific programs that I love to tell people about is the Community Alternative Response (CARE) homeless outreach teams. The CARE teams offer support to unhoused people in Marin County with the goal of connecting people to needed supportive services, housing programs, and permanent housing. The CARE teams are so successful in what they do because they have connections with the community, social service programs, local businesses, other non-profits, law enforcement, and the local behavioral health and recovery services department.

I’ve gotten to know Community Action Marin through the work of my husband. The services that Community Action Marin provides to residents in Marin is truly needed during our very difficult time of the Coronavirus pandemic and economic hardship. CAM has been doing this work since 1966, because even though Marin is a relatively wealthy county on average, there are many residents who need assistance with emergency family needs, mental health support, food, rent, workforce development and more. CAM is a lifeline to thousands of families in Marin County.

I have been volunteering for CAM for many years. I am consistently impressed with the quality of their staff and their commitment to the people they serve. Among their programs is an economic self-sufficiency program. It invites participants to sign up for one-on-one counseling by staff or volunteers who understand the financial challenges faced by so many of our lower-income residents. The residents are asked to establish a budget and track where their money goes - and comes from. They are challenged to seek higher income by learning job and workplace skills. They learn about federal, state and local programs that can help them as well as corporate programs offered by utility and phone companies and banking institutions. They follow through by measuring progress in income levels, reductions in debt and other metrics. CAM's varied programs are essential to so many Marin County residents.

CAM's impact on the community it serves regularly draws accolades from partner organizations and area leaders as well as its clients. I'm proud to be a part of this team as a community volunteer!

I'm a professional fundraiser based in the San Francisco Bay Area and I've gotten to know the mission and work of this organization through my social network. The work that Community Action Marin does in the community is truly vital and heroic especially during this time of the Coronavirus pandemic and economic hardship. They help families achieve wellbeing by providing the education, mental health, and vital services they need. I've seen them help families pay their mortgage and their rent. They help families pay their electric bills. They offer food baskets. They are literally a lifeline for so many families in need in Marin County. Thank you Community Action Marin!