Operation School Bell® provides clothing and shoes for school children in need.  As many as 2544 students, including 438 Camp Pendleton children received clothing and shoes at a cost of $220,000 (including 20,000 Kohl’s cash).

Operation Duffle Bag works with the Escondido Union High School District to provide the homeless and foster graduating seniors with supplies that are helpful to them as they start life on their own – whether that be in a technical or trade school, the military, or college.  Fifty-seven (57) students received duffel bags at a cost of $20,000.

Scholarships and Grants awards scholarships to high school seniors, foster-teen graduates, nursing program students, EME Program students, and upper-division trade program students.  A total of $140,000 was distributed to 150 students from local schools and programs.

Ready…Set…Read!!! This program works to improve and encourage literacy using adult tutors and an annual author visit to local schools to nurture young readers. Since the beginning of the pandemic we have not been allowed into the K through 8 schools but hope to resume soon.  A total of $2000 was spent.

Project Seniors provides senior citizens and the homeless with items that make their lives easier, such as grocery gift cards and miscellaneous gifts that are determined, as needed, through communication with facilities that support them.  The program spent $4870 to help 212 individuals with needed items.

Hug-a-Bear delivers thousands of teddy bears to children and seniors in crisis.  Bears were distributed to 1540 individuals at Palomar Health, Hidden Valley House, Interfaith Community Services, Salvation Army Family Services, Escondido fire, and police departments, and the Escondido Humane Society at a cost of $4,400.

Kids’ Cozy Corner provides young children in the ER at Palomar Medical Center with books and stickers. Due to COVID, the book area was closed, so we were limited to stickers. Knitted hats & blankets created by our Knit Wits group are also provided to infants at Palomar Hospital.  4,000 children and infants were served for a total expenditure of $1,300.

Outreach provides a rapid response to organizations that need our help and may not be part of our existing programs. The program spent $51,800 and served 21,200+ individuals  with our “Community Partners,” including A Step Beyond, the San Diego Discovery Museum Mobile Van, Next Step Service Dogs and TERI’s San Marcos.

Waste Not provides an expanded community service to oversee the distribution of unsellable donated items to or purchased for use by the thrift shop to other 501(c)(3) organizations. 10 charitable organizations received our Waste Not donations for the benefit of an estimated 2350 individuals.