Northrop Grumman Grant
I want to thank Northrop Grumman once again, for providing us with a small grant for educational support. This grant is particularly gratifying because funds are relatively tight this year. This particular grant is from the Sacramento - San Jose operating units, as part of their ongoing employee charity organization (ECHO) giving program, which allows employees to donate through payroll deductions. Thanks again Northrop Grumman. - Charlie
Seeking Grants…
Wow, I can’t believe I almost missed posting in May. Well, this has been a busy month with my day job. (For those of you who don’t know, I have a full time day job in addition to running this non-profit organization). However, I have completed two grant applications. The first was with Northrop Grumman Corporation, a long-time supporter of my charitable activities. The other grant applications was with Safeway Foundation, which is headquartered here in Pleasanton, CA. I really appreciate that local corporations try to “give back” to their local communities. Non-profit organizations are definitely having a more difficult time during this recession, but that’s precisely when our clients need us most. The good news is that there are still a lot of charitable people and organizations out there. As always, I pray that God will provide for us, so that we can provide for others. - Charlie
Thanks NG ECHO and LLNL HOME Programs
We received sufficient funds this past month to extend our grant program “Grants for Graduates of Domestic Violence Shelters” to another homeless and domestic violence shelter in our local area - Tri Valley Haven Homeless and Domestic Violence Shelter. I’ll contact them today or tomorrow to see how we can work together on this. I like working directly with the shelter staff, because they are in the best position to determine who, of the women nearing “graduation” from their programs, is the most in need of additional resources. Thanks again Northrop Grumman Employee Charity Organization (ECHO) and Lawrence Livermore National Lab HOME programs. - Charlie
Grants for Graduates of Domestic Violence Centers
Thanks to a few wonderful donors, we were able to allocate funding to our program “Grants for Graduates of Domestic Violence Centers”. These grants targeted at “graduates” of domestic violence shelters in the Tri-Valley Area of Livermore, California. We’re working closely with Shepherd’s Gate (www.shepherdsgate.org) to identify women either currently “graduating” or who are ”recent graduates” from their domestic violence program. Victims of domestic violence have always been dear to my heart, so we set up this program to help them start their new lives as they go out into the world again. Thank God that there are programs like Shepherd’s Gate and Tri-Valley Haven for Women. At the moment, we’re only working with Shepherd’s Gate, but as we get additional funding we’ll be expanding our program. You can help by sending donations, even $10, $25, or $50 can make a difference.
The Holidays
Wow! Things are really tough out there this year. There is so much competition for donations, for both goods and cash. Almost every day you read in the newspapers about charities needing donations, or charities doing wonderful things for their cause, but for smaller organizations like ours, the going is tough. We are not nearly as well organized as many of the larger charities, nor are we able to mount large campaigns. But you know, it’s even tougher on the clients who come to us asking for help. We would like to be able to help more, but our resources are limited. If you are able to help, a donation of even $10 or $25 dollars can make a difference, or donate non-perishable food items (see our website for details). If you are like most people, you probably have a few extra cans of food in your pantry. Donations of food add up quickly, and before long they add up to a box of food sufficient to feed a family of 4 for a few days. If you are not able to help, we ask for your prayers for our ministry.
Holiday Food Drive
We’re starting our holiday food drive. We want to collect enough food to provide 25 boxes of food for needy families. There is a specific list of the non-perishable items listed on our Care 4 My Lambs website at www.care4mylambs.org. It’s no surprise that there is more need this year, as the unemployment rate continues to rise. If you live in the Tri-Valley area, and can spare some extra grocery items for those in need, please contact us using this contact form. We really need your help this year, more than ever.
Difficult Times
These are difficult times, no only for those in need but also for the agencies trying to help those in need. As we seek donations, we find that most of our sources have many more requests this year than last, and the sources themselves have less funding than in previous years. The end result is that it’s harder this year than in other years to obtain support. There just isn’t as much money to go around, and unfortunately there are more requests for help in these difficult times. This can be a bit discouraging, but we continue to seek God’s guidance and we know that he will provide what we need when we need it. I want to thank all of you who are providing support to Care 4 My Lambs. I ask for your continued prayers for our work. Know that we seek God’s guidance in all we do, and it is only through Him that we accomplish anything at all.
Living Our Ministry
Wow, the Lord has called on us to do some things that are definitely out of our comfort zone. We’ve been letting two young adults stay at our house, one 18 and the other 20. This, in addition to our 18 and 20 year old children who are also living at home, has given us a house full. What a difference two more kids makes. It’s been a learning experience for us all, and very trying for Mary Jo and I. The blessings in this obvious for the two kids, one of whom moved on already (after two weeks), and got a job within a few days of moving out. But the blessings are not so obvious for our children, and for Mary Jo and me. We’ve had to structure things a bit differently, setting quiet times and visiting hours, otherwise it’s like we’re having company every night. Also, we’ve had to make house rules to get everyone (including our kids) to pick up after themselves a lot better. A few dishes in the sink were not so bothersome before, but now with 4 young adults, plus their friends dropping by all the time, the clutter and mess can get out of hand quickly - to say nothing of the food bill and keeping the refrigerator stocked. I thank the Lord for providing us with this opportunity to make a difference in the lives of two young adults, and for the learning experience for us and our children.
New Non-Profit!
For those of you who were previous supporters of BasicNecessities.org, it was time a change for me. Although BasicNecessities served somewhat similar purposes, after much prayerful consideration, I felt that it was necessary to resign as Director from BasicNecessities and start a new charitable organization. Although similar in charter, Care 4 My Lambs Inc. has some fundamental differences. First, we have Christian Board of Directors. I felt this was necessary to ensure that we always put our client’s needs first, and to follow the guidance of the Lord in all the things that we do. Second, we are focusing more of our energy towards helping individuals help themselves, for example by providing small business or educational grants. And thirdly, we are focusing more on international outreach areas.
For me, the best news is that I have formed this new organization with my wife Mary Jo. She and I have wanted to do ministry together for some time, and I believe that God created this opportunity for us so that we could begin a ministry together. As directors, we’re still seeking God’s guidance for our ministry, but we have set up some initial programs that you can read about in the attached literature or on our website www.care4mylambs.org. A couple of our programs, notably Belize and Mexico mission support, were transitioned from BasicNecessities, in order to maintain these efforts in accordance with their original intent and without charging for the service as some organization’s do. Note that our ministry knows no religious boundaries. That is, we will help anyone who needs help, regardless of their religious beliefs, without any strings attached. Our vision is “Caring for God’s children as he commands us to do”.
Care 4 My Lambs, Inc. is a 501(c)3 public charity recognized by the Internal Revenue Service, and qualified to grant receipts for tax-deductible donations, Tax ID 26-4535272.
The First Letters
Well, we finally went “live” so to speak. I’ve been waiting for Mary Jo to recover a bit so that we can start writing letters, raising money, etc. I finally sent out letters to about 50 people who I thought might donate to our organization. You’d be surprised how time consuming it is to send out 50 letters, between writing, printing, signing, printing envelopes, sealing and stamping - it takes a while. But, it’s all worth it when someone sends money. After all, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without our sponsors. God bless all of you - even if they don’t know who you are yet.
