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Hover or tap each photo for a description about each “Act of Kindness.”

Most often, low-income families find themselves with limited food toward the end of the month and end up relying heavily on food distribution programs to keep their children and themselves properly fed. By helping families with food expenses, we are helping them to maintain housing and pay for utilities. Some families are given gift cards or food vouchers to local grocery stores in order to purchase exactly what they need — particularly special dietary items prescribed by a doctor that are not available at local food pantries.
01. Groceries for Families



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Purchasing shoes for low-income children is an expense that is often delayed in order to pay the bills. Because of this, children often have to wear shoes that are too small or completely worn-out. Also, for some students, staying out of harm’s way after school is as important as doing their homework. Our programs for youth offer a safe and secure place where youth may receive homework assistance, needed school supplies, access to computers, snacks, recreational activities, and strong support from staff and volunteers.
03. Shoes & Help for Kids



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Diapers are an expensive necessity for young parents who are most often working minimum wage jobs and doing everything possible to stretch their monthly income. For many of the young parents who come to us, the cost of diapers is a very real problem when food, utilities, and rent must be paid each month. Laundromats, too, are a real expense. Also, infant formula is an absolute necessity if the mother is sick or unable to nurse her newborn. Baby formula is very expensive. You can help us purchase needed formula for an infant that will put a smile on both baby’s and Mommy’s faces.
04. Infant Care



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Due to a previous eviction, home for far too many families in our region may be a car, an over-extended stay with friends or family, or a motel room. Multiple families also often live together in very small, overcrowded dwellings leaving children to sleep on couches and floors.  Help us to keep families stable in their homes and avoid the path to homelessness.
05. Home Eviction Prevention



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Particularly during the hot summer months and the weeks in the winter of extreme cold, poor families have serious worries about the cost of utilities. Helping families pay their utilities can prevent a financial spiral from which they are unable to recover resulting in a very expensive utility shut-off.
06. Keep Utilities On



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High co-pays for doctor prescribed medications or no health insurance at all make expensive and medically necessary prescriptions out of reach for many of those that are forced to do without unless we help because their health depends on it.
07. Prescription Assistance



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Those with limited access to transportation creates ongoing problems and limits the ability to maintain a job, attend school, seek work, and take care of typical family business. Help with transportation costs helps increase mobility particularly in a region where reliable transportation is a necessity. Bus passes, gas vouchers or a needed car repair at just the right moment makes all the difference for a poor family juggling multiple responsibilities to move forward instead of backwards.
08. Transportation Relief



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Tragedies, like the death of a family member, are crises that require the help of others. For those maintaining a fragile level of self-sufficiency each month, the loss of a loved quickly becomes a financial crisis as well. Help to ease the burden of these families with emotional grief support and by providing some funeral financial assistance for the most basic burial services is a true Act of Kindness.
09. Loved Ones Burial Support



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With a spirit of compassion and hospitality, mobile showers and hygiene kits are provided to our homeless brothers and sisters to acknowledges the core dignity of all – housed or not.  A hot shower provides help and creates hope with a fresh start to a new day. During the winter months, blankets, scarves, beanies, and gloves are essential for our local homeless living on the streets to stave off the cold weather.
10. Homeless Outreach Services



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Obtaining US Citizenship can be a difficult and intimidating process.  Catholic Charities provides a safe and comfortable environment where legally-documented individuals can submit the necessary applications to UCIS and join with others to learn what is necessary to become fully engaged in civic life as new American Citizens!
11. New Americans Citizenship Preparation



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For youth who are recovering from traumatic life events such as violence in the home, abuse or neglect, or the incarceration or death of a loved one can be extremely difficult. These are events that change the lives of children forever. Youth often deal with trauma without proper attention. Catholic Charities works with traumatized youth, their families, and their schools to provide seriously needed counseling to youth who would otherwise fall through the cracks.
12. Counseling for Traumatized Youth



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Support future helping professionals in our local communities. Catholic Charities provides $500 scholarships to numerous community colleges throughout our region for students with financial need that have an eagerness to work in a human service field upon completion of their studies. It is our intention to support students’ decision to use their education for a life of service in our local communities.
13. Community College Scholarships



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Entirely staffed by volunteers, local homeless and low-income residents in the neighborhood are welcomed in the spirit of hospitality and receive a “homemade” hot breakfast every Saturday morning. Our goal is to provide brief, but powerful respite and relief in a safe and comfortable place for those in the neighborhood that struggle with the harsh realities of poverty each day. Visit us this weekend at: 3020 Madison Ave. Riverside, CA 7:00 - 9:30 a.m. Every Saturday
14. Neighbor to Neighbor – Riverside



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Early on Sunday mornings, in the spirit of hospitality and entirely staffed by volunteers, local homeless and low-income residents are welcomed to the Catholic Charities’ Administration Office parking lot and receive a continental breakfast including the “best hot coffee on D Street”.  Frequent volunteer “guest cooks” also show up to provide hot food. Our goal is to provide brief, but powerful respite and relief in a safe place for those in the neighborhood that struggle with the harsh realities of poverty each day. Visit us this weekend at: 1450 N D Street San Bernardino, CA 6:30 – 9:00 a.m. Every Sunday
15. Neighbor to Neighbor – San Bernardino



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