CHILDREN’S FUND HELPS COMMUNITY GROW STRONG
FORT BRAGG >> If you grew up on the North Coast, there’s a good chance your life has been touched by the Mendocino Coast Children’s Fund. The wide arms of this local nonprofit envelop the coastal community like a warm, mother’s hug.
From new bikes to back-toschool clothing, from food pantries to vaccine clinics, and everything in between, the Children’s Fund has been serving low-income and at-risk children of Mendocino County (and their families) since 1992.
But now, especially during the tragedies of the last year, the Children’s Fund has stepped up to the challenge more than ever.
In the last 12 months, the Children’s Fund has distributed more than 100,000 masks to community members and visitors as part of the Healthy Mendocino Mask Up Project. Also in 2020, the Fund provided more than $600,000 in aid to families in the form of gift certificates to local businesses, grants and services.
On its website, the Children’s Fund lists local school schedules; healthcare tips and guides to staying safe; and the up-to-date names, phone numbers and locations of where the Mendocino Coast community can find vaccine clinics.
“From our inception, MCCF has always invested back in the community,” said Annie Liner, Volunteer Executive Director.
As the pandemic arrived, the Children’s Fund set up a free thrift store at the Fort Bragg Motel 6 to help others benefit from community generosity.
“Now that our local partner thrift stores are open, we have closed the thrift store,” Liner said, “but we will be giving families in need free gift certificates to our partner thrift stores so they can have a wider selection of items to meet their needs and we can support our partners at the same
time. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
As the weather gets warmer and schools are opening up, the Children’s Fund is refocusing on getting children safely back into their classrooms and back into outdoor recreation, Liner said.
But there are still huge holes in access and funding: “We try and level the playing field by helping families who are trying very hard and dealing with difficult challenges,” Liner said. “We have just funded 200 annual memberships to the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens and hope to expand this program.”
The Fund is also reaching out to its partners who run sports programs and summer recreation.
“We want to make sure that we can help children start to heal from this past year of isolation and uncertainty,” Liner said. “Traditional fundraising has been shut down for a year and we want to make sure that we can fill the fields with kids playing soccer and baseball.”
Part of what made MCCF’s response to COVID-19 issues so quick was their experience in helping after the area’s past, devastating wildfires. Unfortunately, that same experience is looking to come in handy again as the state gears up for another hot and dry summer.
“(We are) focused on the upcoming fire season and trying to make sure our communities have the information and assistance they need in case we have another event,” Liner said. “We are distributing air purifiers to protect children with chronic illness and asthma and allergies. Every child we can keep in the classroom and out of the emergency room benefits our entire community. “
The Children’s Fund has also invested in supplying adequate nutrition to the community. Working with the Fort Bragg Food Bank, The Children’s Fund generously donated several shipments of PPE, which ensured all of the Food Bank’s clients, staff and volunteers were provided with protective masks during food distribution.
“One of our most successful programs is our weekly Kids Bag Program,” said Food Bank Director, Amanda Friscia. “This provides families with children a supplemental bag of food to help fill their pantry. This bag contains items like fresh produce, meat protein, cheese, cereal, granola bars, easy-to-eat snacks, pasta and more. The Children’s Fund also helps us supply extras in the bag like activity books, toothbrushes, masks and community resource guides.”
“The Mendocino Coast Children’s Fund has helped to build a successful referral program for children in need of extra resources like shoe vouchers, gas cards, and clothing,” Friscia said. “Maintaining a confidential and prideful referral process is a top priority.”
The Children’s Fund also works with the Red Cross and the City of Fort Bragg to plan for community disaster response and to educate children about how to stay safe. They are the fiscal sponsor for the new community gardens being developed by their partner, Victory Gardens for Peace, at C.V. Starr, and recently helped the Seniors on Bikes club of Fort Bragg to raise money for a donated bike to a needful child.
“365 days a year, MCCF is the first responder to small and large challenges,” Liner said. “Unlike other non-profits, we do not count on government funding. In order for MCCF to survive, we are counting on our community to make sure we can say yes to kids.”
To learn more about the Mendocino Coast Children’s Fund, visit its website at www.mccf.info.
Contact reporter Robin Epley at 707.969.6091.