Local Heroes: Creek Kids Care Helping the Local Homeless

One of my favorite local nonprofits, Creek Kids Care, raised $700 by selling its kid-created stationery and other art items at the Walnut Creek Farmers Market on December 7.

This Walnut Creek-based nonprofit is doing well enough from its periodic community and online sales that it has committed to donating $300 a month to Fresh Start Walnut Creek, the respite and service center in downtown Walnut Creek for the working poor, homeless, or those at the risk of becoming homeless. Creek Kids Care will make this donation each month between this December and December 2009.

I’ve reported on the fine work of Creek Kids Care before. In one our measures to downsize our Christmas gift-giving list, my husband, son, and I did our shopping at Creek Kids Care sale on November 2. Creek Kids Care sells stationery, knitted items, framed art and other goods made by kids—elementary to high-school aged.

Creek Kids Care has also announced that 15 families have signed up to participate in sponsoring 17 Fresh Start members as part of a special holiday project.

To learn more about this holiday project or to purchase Creek Kids Care stationery online click here.

Meanwhile, as I write this, I just came across a report by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. According to Reuters, this report showed that 19 of 25 cities saw an increase in homelessness in the 12 months to October.

On average, the cities in the survey saw a 12 percent rise in homelessness, the report said. Although the results do not cover all U.S. cities, homeless advocates said they were in line with anecdotal evidence nationwide.

Homeless advocates say families are flooding homeless shelters across the United States in numbers not seen for years, camping out in motels or staying with friends and relatives following foreclosures on tens of thousands of homes during the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.