58 Monterey County GIVES! 2025 mcgives.com COMMUNITY & SOCIAL SERVICES DONATE ONLINE MCGIVES.COM those who risked so much. “A year after retiring [as director of the Monterey County Veterans Service Office], I joined the Central Coast Veterans Cemetery Foundation board of directors. The cemetery was ultimately established more than 20 years after the foundation’s founding. I’m proud to have played a small part in making it a reality. However, the work isn’t finished. The cemetery continues to grow and evolve, and it still needs community support to fully realize the vision of a lasting monument that honors our veterans and their families.” -Richard Garza COLD CASE PROJECT OF MONTEREY COUNTY Year Founded: 2024 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 0 paid, 7 volunteers Budget: $50,000 (831) 241-0381 coldcasesmonterey.org BIG IDEA: More than 600 murder cases have gone cold in Monterey County. And with tremendous breakthroughs in forensic technology revealing crucial, long-hidden evidence, often the only remaining hurdle to solving these cases is money. It can cost between $10,000 and $35,000 to solve one cold case—which is where Cold Case Project of Monterey County comes in. This Big Idea works with law enforcement to provide a needed infusion of funds and support to solve homicides and serve justice. “The slow and costly nature of DNA testing forces many departments to prioritize other pressing needs. The Cold Case Project of Monterey County serves as a vital resource for agencies like Seaside, which currently has 33 unsolved homicides. Without the support of organizations like this, funding for investigating these cases would be nearly impossible.” -Seaside Police Chief Nick Borges COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION OF BIG SUR (CABS) Year Founded: 1985 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 3 paid, 35 volunteers Budget: $400,000 (831) 595-0072 cabigsur.org BIG IDEA: Community Association of Big Sur partners with government agencies, nonprofits and others dedicated to Big Sur to deliver long-term sustainability for the region. CABS is diligent about the data collection and advocacy work needed to protect Big Sur, including launching Big Ideas like a Highway 1 traffic counter and a chipping program to encourage residents to turn excess vegetation into wood chips and reduce wildfire fuel. CABS works to empower local voices and build powerful relationships to protect Big Sur. “I am thankful to CABS for their solution-oriented leadership in serving the people who live and work in Big Sur. During the last decade, Big Sur has endured numerous challenges related to fire and storm damage, highway closures, increased visitation and limited infrastructure and housing. CABS has responded with care and concern to these challenges. They have served as a catalyst to identify and implement strategies for surviving the present, while creating a roadmap for an enduring and successful future.” -Tim Bills, Big Sur Station coordinator, Los Padres Forest Association COMMUNITY HOMELESS SOLUTIONS Year Founded: 1978 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 64 paid, 75 volunteers Budget: $6,209,626 (831) 384-3388 communityhomelesssolutions.org BIG IDEA: Most clients at Community Homeless Solutions arrive at their domestic violence shelters “in flight,” with few possessions for themselves or their children. This Big Idea helps clients rebuild their lives, first providing a safe place to sleep. Then Community Homeless Solutions gathers diapers, clothing and other basic supplies, helps secure employment and even replaces IDs and other necessary documents. In 2024, 99.5 percent of CHS clients moved into safe, sustainable housing within 90 days of arriving at the shelter. “I was staying at a cheap hotel with my infant son due to domestic violence when I was referred to the shelter. When I entered, it was very calm and the staff were very friendly. Case management FOOD BANK FOR MONTEREY COUNTY Year Founded: 1990 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 41 paid, 500 volunteers Budget: $31,016,000 (831) 758-1523 foodbankformontereycounty.org BIG IDEA: The number of families requesting Food Bank for Monterey County’s help has quadrupled post-pandemic. Today, 25 percent of Monterey County residents, including 1 in 3 children and seniors, receive nourishing staples from the Food Bank. In 2025, the nonprofit has lost $500,000 in government funding, $2 million in food, and had 15 truckloads of protein and dairy canceled. Also, a program providing funds to food banks to purchase from local farmers has been eliminated entirely. The Big Idea is to counter these losses to provide essential nutrition to our community, at a time when community members experience greater need due to cuts to programs like SNAP. “I have only managed to get by this week because of the help of the Food Bank. Without it, I don’t know how I would have fed my children. I work seven days a week, and I’m sorry to say it, but that’s not enough.” -Teresa S. SPOTLIGHT “I felt cared for—like someone finally understood me.” - Catalina, 17, Harmony at Home
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