New Year

Posted on January 27, 2012 by

I haven’t posted in a while.  I’ve been pretty busy; a combination of the holidays and work.  That doesn’t mean that we haven’t been helping people.  During the month of December, I saw more needy people than usual braving the unusual cold in order to get a handout for food or rent.  As you recall, we had a few weeks of extreme cold and a bit of rain.  We gave out quite a few Safeway and McDonalds gift cards during November and December.  We also received a large number of in-kind donations the last couple of months of the year.  Most of them we were able to sell for some extra cash, but some items we gave to needy people.  I find it such a challenge being out Christmas shopping, with the parking lots full of cars, and yet there are so many people in need.  Well, I think God for the blessings in my life and in our country.  – Charlie

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Two Graduation Grants

Posted on October 22, 2011 by

I am happy to announce that we have awarded two Graduation Grants to women completing the program at Shepherd’s Gate.  The Graduation Grants are something that we have been doing for a couple of years now, to help graduating women purchase a few additional items as they start their new lives.  The women work very hard to get through the program at Shepherd’s Gate, and often need extra items such as work clothes, tools or supplies for their new jobs, or books and tuition to improve their skills.  We work closely with Shepherd’s Gate, letting them select the women according to need and our general grant criteria.  This year we were able to make 4 grants of $250 dollars each.  Next year we hope to do even more.

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Monterey CA

Posted on September 30, 2011 by

My wife and I were celebrating our 24th anniversary in Monterey, California last weekend. We were visiting the wharf, looking for something to eat, and met a man who was sitting on the ground asking for money.  He was an indigenous American Indian, off his reservation in New Mexico, and he was partially blind.  We stopped to chat with him for a few minutes, trying to find out his story.  He looked like a typical homeless man, dirty clothes, and for some reason more comfortable off his reservation looking for a handout than staying where he had shelter.  Apparently in his home town they hassle people loitering about, and apparently unlike some of our big cities like Monterey.  We ended up giving him a couple of $10 McDonald’s cards so that he could get some food.  He was thankful and we talked to him briefly about his faith, asking if he had Jesus in his life.  Not unexpectedly he said no, and talked about his Indian beliefs.  Oh well, at least he believes that there is some sort of God.  Maybe we planted a seed, but more likely not.  Regardless, my wife and I always try to shine the light of Jesus Christ through our work. – Charlie

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Sept ’11 Street Fair

Posted on September 7, 2011 by

Tonight was the last “1st Wednesday Street Fair” of the year in Pleasanton, CA.  We missed the last one due to an unplanned business trip on my part. This fair was really nice. The weather was great, starting in the low 90s and staying in the 80s into the evening. We met several new people who are interested in ministry and helping others in need. We also held a raffle for the first time, in order to raise money.  You can see the “spa baskets” in the picture at right.  The winners of the raffle were Linda M. and Gordon V.  I am always amazed with the people that we meet.  Tonight we met Mike and Pamela, a wonderful couple who are active with the Livemore Homeless Refuge, an organization that opens shelters during the winter whenever the temperature drops below a certain level.  One of the clever things about this shelter is that they use local churches for the shelters, rotating between a group of about 4 churches so that the burden is shared.  Well, so much for the summer street fairs (this was the last one).

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A Client Family

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

I would like to post more often, but it’s difficult to post about our clients and maintain their confidentiality.  This month we able to raise some funds to help one of our clients; a family of 6, the husband is out of work, and the wife’s hours have been limited due to the recession.  Adults can keep it together to a certain extent, but when small children are hungry is tears my heart out.  I pray that the husband will be able to find work soon.  I pray that their situation will change.  I pray for God’s grace in providing for this family.  In the meantime however, we can provide a little help to support them when their money runs out before the end of the month.  If any of you out there are able to help, please donate some non-perishable food items and/or cash.  Even $10 or $25 dollars will help.  You can make donations on-line at our website www.care4mylambs.org. By the way, we’ll be at the 1st Wednesday Street Fair in Pleasanton with a booth, so drop by and sign up for a chance to win a gift basket full of items from local businesses.  – Charlie

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Updated Blog Theme

Posted on July 28, 2011 by

I wanted to update our blog theme to match more closely to our website at www.care4mylambs.org.  I know this is mundane stuff, as opposed to going out and helping people in need, but necessary.  I hope you like it.  – Charlie

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Women at Pleasanton Post Office

Posted on June 29, 2011 by

Twice this month I’ve seen women at the Pleasanton Post Office asking for help.  Both were moms with very young children.  One of them was a little more clean cut, looking like someone you’d run into at the grocery store – except she had a sign asking for help.  However, the other woman looked more like the indigenous beggar women that you see in Mexico in the border areas.  This woman looked really poor, didn’t speak English very well, and when I talked to her about the various local resources she could go to for help, she said that she couldn’t (or was afraid to) because she didn’t have “papers”.  I didn’t press her further, but gave her a couple of gift cards, one to Safeway and the other to McDonalds.  We also helped out the first woman with some money for rent and a couple of Safeway gift cards.

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Street Fair

Posted on June 5, 2011 by

Mary Jo and I set up a boot at the 1st Wednesday Street Fair in Pleasanton.  Booth at Street FairDue to the cold weather, and rain earlier in the day, the turnout at the street fair was much lower than usual.  I was surprised by how cold it was, particularly for June.  I think we were all freezing out there, and a lot of the vendors closed early.  Other than that, it went pretty well.  The organizers did a really nice job putting this together.  I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the point of the fair was to get exposure for our organization, and in that we were successful.  Overall, I think it was a good experience, and many people stopped to talk.  We even picked up a few donations in our box, but not nearly as much as I expected.  – Charlie

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1st Wednesday Street Fair – Pleasanton

Posted on May 30, 2011 by

It’s time that we increased our visibility within the community, so I decided to set up a booth at the 1st Wednesday Street Fair in Pleasanton, CA.  These 1st Wednesday fairs are relatively small, primarily for local Pleasanton businesses, and hosted by the Pleasanton Downtown Association.  Our booth will be in slot 187, down towards the end of Main Street nearer to the old Pleasanton Hotel.  Hopefully we’ll get some visibility and increase our name-recognition, and hopefully we’ll get a few donations.  If any of you happen to be in the area, come on down to the fair.  They run 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm on the 1st Wednesday of the month, May through September.  There is generally lots of food, entertainment, and the wares of the local businesses and non-profits.  – Charlie

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Graduation Grants Awarded

Posted on April 26, 2011 by

We are awarding two Graduation Grants this month, to “graduates” of Shepherd’s Gate Domestic Violence Shelter.  Their stories are typical, yet heart-wrenching.

The first grant is to a victim of domestic violence.  As a child she was abused and neglected by her parents.  She was forced to take care of her younger siblings and forced to drop out of school.  When she arrived at Shepherd’s Gate she was fleeing from an abusive marriage.  However, while in their program she blossomed.  Now she goes to school full time, works part time and manages to raise two small children.  She graduated in April.

The second grant is to a May graduate.  As is all too typical, she was abused and neglected as a child and fell into abusive relationships, one after the other.  She is currently in recovery from drugs.  She has young children, one of which is handy capped.  At this time, she is attending a Bible College with the hopes of getting into the Ministry.

I think the Lord for delivering these two women and their children to the doorsteps of Shepherd’s Gate, and to their hard work to break free of the bondage of domestic violence.  – Charlie

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