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“Since we’re an agricultural county, the need really does grow dramatically over the holidays,” said Bill Gibbs, executive director of the Merced County Food Bank. “A lot of families rely on that [field] work for their entire income so when the work stops for the season, the need grows.” Located behind the Walmart in North Merced, the 30,000-square-foot food warehouse serves more than 100 nonprofit agencies throughout the county. These “customers” oversee a variety of smaller food pantries, brown-bag programs and emergency food centers which distribute groceries directly to those in need.
food food bank food insecurity holidays spotlightTo help change the inequality in access to care, Jensen said the department is looking to form a coalition with public agencies, private citizens, nonprofits and other community voices and address each of the three goals head-on. The department’s stated goals are: ensuring “all individuals in Merced County have access to quality health care,” “optimizing social and physical environments to support healthy lifestyles” and increasing wellness in Merced County “by addressing the conditions that lead to drug and alcohol abuse.” The department has given itself until 2021 to achieve each of these goals. While the scope of work may be daunting, department officials say they hope to achieve true healthy equity by incorporating a wide-spectrum of voices and community representatives in the planned coalition.
community health assessment health merced county public health social justice spotlightThere is nothing “soft” about giving judges the discretion to make decisions. It is fair. Prosecutors have a problem with losing their power, which is why they are so opposed to this bill. Too much power in the hands of prosecutors is not a good thing. Additionally, prosecutors generally do not have any insight when it comes to rehabilitation. If judges have discretion, sentencing would look a lot different because they are not solely focused on convictions like prosecutors are.
Criminal justice reform Politics prop 57 spotlightThe opportunity for recreation and community cohesiveness is powerful for public safety. By giving our children a place to stay out of trouble and by adding more eyes on the street, parks help keep communities safe and connected. Our organization, Fathers & Families of San Joaquin (FFSJ), has seen the comprehensive benefits parks provide and has become a champion for parks in Stockton and throughout California.
#Park4all Fathers and Families of San Joaquin green space parks spotlight stocktonI think the biggest challenge that I see for helping prevent domestic violence is how oblivious people could be to it. It’s hard to talk to my friends about it because I feel they don’t really understand the severity of this issue. They know about my aunt and how she died, so I think they understand my sensitivity to this issue, but they do not understand the long-lasting impact it has on the families of victims.
awareness domestic violence family spotlightMy foster home was not the best. It felt like they didn’t really care about me either. I had no clothes and had to wear their four-year-old daughters clothes.
abuse foster care foster care system foster kid spotlight trauma