Readers donate in record numbers to newspaper’s Share the Spirit campaign

Even in the throes of another pandemic year, readers of the East Bay Times reached deep into their pockets this season to help those less fortunate by donating money for the nonprofits that serve them.

Moved by stories of neighbors in need, readers contributed a record-setting $535,722 to this news organization’s annual Share the Spirit campaign as of Jan. 20. The money will be given to 56 nonprofits in Contra Costa and Alameda counties that provide critical services to the working poor, the homeless, the hungry and others who are down on their luck.

Sharon Ryan, the Bay Area News Group’s publisher, was awed by the support. “The annual Share the Spirit campaign is one of the most important things we do,” she said.

“Powerful storytelling from our journalists combined with the generosity of the community we serve” resulted in another record-breaking year, Ryan added.

The totals for Share the Spirit jumped about $30,000 from last season, which also set a record, said Dee Dee Robillard, community projects director for the news group. Share the Spirit and its companion program in the South Bay, Wish Book, raised more than $1.4 million combined, the second consecutive year their totals have topped $1 million, marking a far higher level of donor generosity than prior to the pandemic.

“We are always so grateful for the response and the community,” Robillard said. “The pandemic has exacerbated issues for many people who were on the edge. They’ve missed paychecks, or the (number of) people applying for food assistance has gone way up. … Mental health crises are accelerating as well because of the isolation of the pandemic.”

Now in its 28th year, Share the Spirit is supported by individual, foundation and business contributions. Since its inception, the Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation has provided some of the program’s most critical support, and this year was no exception as it donated $40,000. Bay Area News Group added thousands more from employees and matching donations this year, Robillard said.

The contributions are expected to benefit more than 50,000 people, she added.

The East Bay Times stories featured nonprofits such as Trinity Center Walnut Creek, which provides opportunity and support services for the homeless and working poor; Swords to Plowshares, which helps veterans; St. Vincent de Paul, a safety net for the homeless; Rising Sun Center for Opportunity; Open Heart Kitchen; Meals on Wheels; and the Rainbow Community Center of Contra Costa County, which promotes equity.

Robillard said readers were especially moved by stories about Winter Nights Family Shelter, Hijas del Campo (Daughters of the Field) and Veterans Accession House.

Bill Shaw, executive director of Winter Nights, said Share the Spirit donations have helped his nonprofit house clients in motels when its shelter was short-staffed and assisted other clients in paying bills. Winter Nights operates a family shelter for parents and children, a parking lot program for the homeless and a “Continued Success” program that helps alumni clients stay housed.

“There’s not enough agencies nor enough money to meet the growing needs of the homeless,” he said.

Besides money, Shaw said the Times story helped get the word out about Winter Nights, prompting some residents to offer blankets and bedsheets. “It was just another blessing,” he said.

Leonard Ramirez, founder of eastern Contra Costa County’s Veterans Accession House, which shelters and helps homeless veterans, said publicity about his largely unknown five-year program was invaluable. One photograph even helped link up a veteran with a long-lost friend who was in South America when he saw the story online.

“So, they’re connected now,” he said.

Marivel Mendoza, co-founder and president of Hijas del Campo, said she was happy to hear many readers were touched by a story about her year-old group, created during the pandemic to feed and hydrate farmworkers. It has since grown to offer rent relief and popup vaccination clinics.

“I love it because it’s really getting the word out about who our team is, and about the campesinos and the work they do,” she said. “It’s just a big deal. … We want people to recognize the people who are still working even in COVID.”

Many of the workers or their relatives have come down with the virus — especially those living in multi-generational homes — but for some there were no stimulus checks because they’re undocumented. That’s another reason the donations have been so helpful, Mendoza said.

The group will receive several thousand dollars this year that will be used to buy fresh food, water and school supplies, as well as to help the campesinos pay bills. “What this grant has done for us is huge,” Mendoza said.

But sometimes it’s the little essentials like soap for clothes that make a big difference, she noted.

“That’s dignity,” Mendoza said, “and that’s what we also want to help promote and push.”

To read this year’s stories of the people helped by the nonprofit grants, go to www.sharethespiriteastbay.org/.

SHARE THE SPIRITThe Share the Spirit holiday campaign, sponsored by the Bay Area News Group, serves needy residents of Alameda and Contra Costa counties by funding nonprofit holiday and outreach programs. To make a tax-deductible contribution, clip the coupon accompanying this story or go to www.sharethespiriteastbay.org/donate. Readers with questions, and individuals or businesses interested in making large contributions, may contact the Share the Spirit program at 925​-​655​-​8355 or [email protected].