120 Monterey County GIVES! 2023 mcgives.com Health, Wellness & Food DONate online mcgives.com additional work on an awareness video explaining the problems of local low-income Latinos and farmworkers as they struggle to receive proper diagnoses, medical access, and reasonable treatment for their cancer. “Over the past year I have received very generous guidance and support from Cancer Patients Alliance including help in getting health insurance, encouragement to receive a full diagnosis for my cancer, surgery for it, and support for travel up to Stanford for medical appointments. I so appreciate and am very grateful to Cancer Patients Alliance.” -Marta Lopez The Carmel Foundation Year Founded: 1950 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 17 paid, 105 volunteers Budget: $2,960,157 624-1588 carmelfoundation.org Big Idea: Did you know that 10.8 million Californians will be aged 60 or older, representing 25 percent of the state’s population by 2030? The rising cost of living places pressure on older adults in our community who live on a fixed income, making it difficult for those at most risk for malnutrition to access healthy, low-cost meals. The Carmel Foundation’s Big Idea offers curbside meals and home delivery to provide Monterey County seniors with nutritious, affordable food. Onsite dining provides fulfillment both on the plates and from making friends. “I love the variety of the fresh and delicious meals at The Carmel Foundation. I enjoy eating my meals in the dining room because there is always someone to visit and converse with. The serving sizes of the meals are suitable for seniors and very affordable.” -Maria Bennett Coastal Kids Home Care Year Founded: 2005 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 145 paid, 20 volunteers Budget: $4,055,934 (800) 214-5439 coastalkidshomecare.org Big Idea: Heal Together, a community-wide initiative to bring grief education and comprehensive bereavement services from Coastal Kids Home Care, seeks donations to support its in-demand program, including its King City location. These bilingual mental health services provide one-on-one and group therapy to children ages 4-21 suffering from post-traumatic stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and other mild to moderate mental health challenges. In the first year of programming for this Big Idea, Heal Together served 88 kids with clinical help and 68 kids with one-on-one counseling. “It is still sometimes sad talking about my grandma, but therapy has also made it easier to talk about her. I feel like me and my mom can miss her together and talk about her and I don’t feel alone in my sadness of missing my grandma.” -Naveah G., 12 Dentistry 4 Vets Year Founded: 2018 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 1.5 paid, 14 volunteers Budget: $500,224 883-9371 dentistry4vets.org Big Idea: A majority of veterans do not qualify for dental care services under the strict eligibility requirements for VA benefits. This lack of access to dentistry leads veterans to neglect their teeth, leading to reduced physical, mental and social health. Dentistry 4 Vets is a permanent dental office for comprehensive dental care for veterans to receive the care they need. The nonprofit’s Big Idea is to care for 550 veterans in the coming year, with dental care including assisting with pain, swelling and I’m feeling healthier and have a better smile.” Anonymous, Dentistry 4 Vets NAMI Monterey County (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Year Founded: 1989 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 3.5 paid, 30 volunteers Budget: $365,000 422-6264 namimonterey.org Big Idea: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Monterey County seeks to launch rural bilingual outreach, a pilot program offering NAMI’s signature support and education programs in Spanish. This pilot, to be launched in Pajaro, will help residents cope with the trauma from the devastating floods in March 2023. The program will include considerable outreach, efforts to eliminate stigma and intensive peer-led programs to support mental health and resilience among participants. From Pajaro, this nonprofit hopes to expand its Big Idea in other local communities ranging from Castroville to King City. “NAMI Monterey County has been a big part of our family’s life for the past nine years. I’m the mother of three beautiful young adult daughters. After one of my girls was diagnosed with a mental health condition at the age of 20, no one could answer our questions in terms we could understand. We were all in different stages of grief. After taking a Family to Family class from NAMI, we finally felt we weren’t alone and many of our questions were finally being answered. Although the struggles remain and every day is different, our hope and faith continue to grow. And we’ve become strong advocates about mental health in our schools, at our jobs and in our communities. Our family is proud that we helped advocate for and establish Spanish-language NAMI programs and trainings in Salinas—and throughout the state. Si Se Puede!” -Rosa R. spotlight
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