Season of Sharing Fund ready to help

WNearly 1 in 5 Bay Area families has less than $400 in savings.

ith the holiday season here, many are looking for ways to help people in need. 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 $177 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.

In these times, as inflation for basic items is skyrocketing and COVID-19 continues to put a strain on our workforce, this support is more important than ever. Data shows nearly 1 in 5 Bay Area families has less than $400 in savings. When crises hit, no one should have to choose between medicine, rent or groceries.

“Along with increases in the cost of food, gas and other essentials, we know many of our neighbors are also struggling to keep up with rising rents,” said Kevin Swanson, executive director of The Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund. “One disruption to their livelihood — such as a layoff or missing work because of an illness — can have a cascading effect on their lives, and, devastatingly, lead to possible homelessness and hunger. Many of the hard-working families we serve are one missed paycheck away from life-disrupting crises. Something unexpected today can derail tomorrow’s possibilities. We strive to keep people’s hopes alive.”

Thanks to dedicated donors, this year the Season of Sharing Fund kept nearly 5,000 families in their homes and provided 5 million meals to those facing hunger.

“Our clients’ ability to persevere and get back on their feet is fueled in part by the generosity of our Bay Area community,” Swanson said.

As in previous years, 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. To date this year, $151 million has been distributed among 150 partner agencies skilled in preventing homelessness, and $28 million was donated to food banks. In turn, these food banks provide vital care; the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, for example, provides weekly groceries for 50,000 families.

“As the homelessness crisis continues unabated, Season of Sharing provides a lifeline for members of our community in danger of losing their homes,” said Emilio Garcia-Ruiz, The Chronicle’s editor-in-chief. “I am always warmed by the generosity of Chronicle readers who every year make this one of the nation’s most successful media-sponsored charities. I expect that to continue again this year.”

The Chronicle and the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund 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.seasonof sharing.org.

This commentary is from The Chronicle’s editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.