COVID makes need greater

With the holiday season here, many of you are searching for ways to help those in need of emergency support. The Chronicle’s Season of Sharing Fund has been instrumental in helping more than 160,000 individuals and families in the Bay Area. Since 1986, the Season of Sharing Fund has distributed $163 million to help Bay Area residents with critical needs, including families with dependent children, disabled individuals, veterans, victims of intimate partner violence and transitioning emancipated foster youth.

Due to the continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, that need right now is tremendous.

“For lower-wage households, the pandemic isn’t over,” said Zev Lowe, executive director of The Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund. “Jobs that used to exist just don’t exist anymore. Essential workers who got COVID and were out of work for months, are still getting caught up with bills and with their health.”

With California’s eviction moratorium having recently expired, 85% of Season of Sharing disbursements go toward housing assistance and critical needs while the remaining 15% is distributed among food banks in the nine Bay Area counties. This year, the program has served more than 5,000 households.

“One in 5 people in the Bay Area don’t even have even $500 in savings,” says Lowe. “These are people for whom one missed paycheck could leave them on the streets. Our job is to

bring stability, to give them breathing room to get back on their feet. And, because of COVID, that’s a lot more difficult than it used to be. Usually, it takes a month or so of help. But, for someone recovering from severe COVID, even two months after getting sick they may be struggling to walk across the room, let alone find work.”

“Season of sharing is a jewel,” said Emilio GarciaRuiz, The Chronicle’s editor in chief. “The ability to keep our neighbors safely in their homes when they face economic hardship is an invaluable tool in fighting homelessness. I look forward to seeing the great things the program does this year.”

The San Francisco Chronicle and the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund fully cover all operating costs for the program, which allows 100% of your donations to go directly to helping people in need.

To learn more or to donate to the fund, visit www.seasonofsharing.org.