>> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc seven news. >> we are dedicating today's getting answers to abc seven season of giving, a month-long effort to give back and shine a light on people in organizations -- china a light across the bay area. -- good afternoon. abc seven is proud to partner with united way bay area for the season of giving campaign. we are building a better bay area by joining together to support and uplift our neighbors in need. joining us today are christopher, chief advancement officer at united way bay area and caroline martin, vice president of develop. thank you so much for coming on the show today. >> thank you for having us. >> to talk about all that

united way bay area does, which is so much. everyone has heard of united way bay area, and when people think of you and they do not know the difference between that and the red cross, red cross is disaster relief. you guys are focused on systemic change in supporting and sustaining the communities. tell us what you guys do? >> it's great that you talk about building a better bay area because we talk about that all the time and we are focused on the being an organization that dismantles the root causes of poverty. and more equitable pathways or prosperity throughout the bay area for all of our neighbors. and we do that by bringing together and mobilizing the bay area across sectors, so people from all different walks of life, all different sectors. our vision for all of that work is really to create an equitable barrier -- bay area where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. >> can we get a snapshot of where we are at in the bay area? we have so much wealth creation here. yet, at the same time, what are you seeing in terms of the poverty picture and the need? >> one of the things that we

touch on a lot, there is something called the real cost measure, which is produced by united ways of california in partnership with united way's in the state. and we look at especially in the bay area, many places it can cost and income of over 110,000 dollars a year to make ends meet, to hit your basic needs. and that really is -- if you're not able to do that, you are stretched. you're basically living in poverty. so it is a common situation, many people, approximately half the people in the bay area are not meeting those basic needs. so we've got a lot of folks to serve. we estimate over 600,000 people need services like we provide to address those things. >> i imagine the number has only gone up during the pandemic. did you check that? >> yes. what is great as we have been over a century in surveying communities. and it is an honor to serve archimedes. we served over half a million last year. >> that's right.

and it has been an interesting time because with the centennial year, 100 years of service to the bay area, and the last couple of years, living through a pandemic, it has been an incredible time to be doing this work, an important time to be doing this work. and the need has only gotten more significant as people have struggled with changes in jobs and other disasters. wildfires are another factor. >> i do you groups together, from working to companies and groups. drill down on exactly the different ways in which you support people and try to break people out of that cycle of poverty? specific things we do good first of all, it is meeting basic needs, so making sure that people have food, have shelter. last year we had measurement for, we distributed about 4 million pounds of food to our partnerships and 150 shelter nights. those are the basic needs we're talking about, just stabilizing folks, so they can look at their resources and figure out what else they need.

do you want to say anything about our financial stability work? with spark point centers, so these are centers that are community colleges or institutions or nonprofits. and you can come to these spark point centers and learn about how do i get financial coaching? i'd like a career path? power i get those two to make sure that i'm onto a better career? financial stability is really critical as we know if we have financial stability, then we have our housing ce of.>> abso. you are giving people the tools because there is an education component as well. >> yeah, we found a lot of folks living in poverty are struggling to make ends meet as we often prefer to say. you know, they are financial magicians. they are doing incredible work to balance their budgets, to maybe go to a community college to improve their situation and get a better job in the future. and those folks are really struggling. and they just need some support, they just needed tools. so these centers help to provide tools like that. >> how many of those centers do

you have and how can people join? is it free? >> great question. yes, they are totally free and we just recently i think last week opened our 23rd spark point center. so they can go to our website and you can see where they are. but one good story that just happened recently, this individual had made not the best choices since he was 15. and he had been incarcerated and out of incarceration. he recently just went to a spark point center, learned how to make a budget, learned how to do his tax reports, now he is on to a better future. that is what we are here to do. >> that is fantastic. i love hearing those stories. another great resource that you have is 211. talk about what that helpline is. >> 211 is a first line of defense or information for people who are struggling in any way. if anybody is having any kind of issue, they might need a social service or support, they can call 211 and be directed by the spokes to our nonprofit partners, really to any nonprofits in the area, who are

relevant to the need that they face, whether it is food insecurity, whether they need access to affordable or subsidized daycare. whether they are experiencing some kind of personal crisis, mental health crisis, we can refer people to services that we do not necessarily ourselves provide. but we also then refer to services that we provide if that makes sense. and our last year measured, we reach over 50,000 people across the bay area through either phone calls or text messages. >> are there languages other than english offered when people call? >> i don't have the list of languages handy, but i think one of the important services that we also provide is free tax help. and that is provided in vietnamese and mandarin and english and spanish, as you might expect. >> back to the 211, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, so it is always there for people. 211, it is important to know that there are multiple linkages. >> we know that the pandemic

has increased the need for this type of support because so many people are in need. has it changed the way you do business or the way you had to adapt? >> yes, absolutely. in terms of the way we work, most of our staff is virtual. we are just beginning nowo come bk o t w for the free ta year tt w refundstas for tax credits. that work over the last couple of years had to be done virtually, which is a complicated thing to do, when touching your tax returns or your finances is such an intimate thing. but we were able to do that through some partnerships, to do that virtually where appropriate. now we are finally able to do that free tax help work and we are recruiting volunteers. so we are happy to hear ■from people if they would like to volunteer. >> you do not have to donate just with money. there are many different ways to help? >> absolutely. we're looking for volunteers, people to attend events.

another example is corporate partners. during this adaptive time, realizing that they can actually get on zoom and coach the youth for how to get the resume ready, how to do an interview. there's lots of ways to volunteer. and also donate and be supportive of our communities, because we are in communities in the bay area. >> alright, but if people do want to donate money, i understand you're doing a year end campaign. >> like a we're driving to the end of the calendar year and raising as much resources as we can to support the work we have talked about. and you can come to our website and specifically to u that's where we are asking specific support. >> i'm excited to be here because the bay area is trying to make our community stronger. so if people want to volunteer and see how to get engaged, go to that website and join us.

>> that is a great place to enter conversation. thank you so much. great info edward. christopher and cara lena, thank you so much. >> happy holidays. >> do not go away because just ahead, getting answers, season of giving will be back. the power of giving can change lives, making the bay area a better place for all of us. we will learn about the silicon valley community foundation's work to advance that money and opportunity in san mateo and santa clara counties.

>> silicon valley may be the land of wealth but it is a land of great need where there are glaring inequities in income and

access to things like education and housing. one group trying to support those making positive change is the largest community foundation and the nation, the silicon valley community foundation. joining us live now to tell us about the foundations work is the executive vice president of community action, policy and strategy. thank you for joining us today. >> such a pleasure to be with you here today. >> the pleasure is ours. the silicon valley community foundation was created in 2007 through a merger and since then, it has gotten hundreds of millions of dollars in donations from the likes of facebook founder mark zuckerberg and microsoft cofounder paul allen. what is your mission? >> thank you so much. so our mission is to create a more just and equitable silicon valley. we work with nonprofit partners and donors can improve the lives of children and families living in silicon valley. our ultimate goal is for all of us to participate in a more

equitable and just valley. >> who are some of your partners? >> we work with nonprofit organizations on the ground, grassroots organizations. we partnered with united bay area -- united way bay area that you just talk to. and other small and medium and large nonprofit organizations. we also partnered with more than 2000 individuals and families of toners. through their generosity, that will help us give more than 70 -- $707 million in the bay area. >> you give out a lot of grants but to individuals who have scholarships, right? >> we do. we serve donors, scholarship funds to help students achieve their dreams community college or college education.

we work with donors to set up funds to ensure that their dreams are fulfilled. >> you talked about the main goal, that is to create equity. is that something that you are working on in housing, in early childhood education, maybe financial stability and emergency response? in all of those areas, is there work to be done to create more equitable conditions? >> so you mentioned it. christopher did as well. we have been in one of the most unequal regions in our country. and the only way that we see that we will achieve our vision of a more equitable and just silicon valley is to have folks that have been subject to systemic equity at the table, making decisions, driving their own future. so we partner with nonprofit organizations on the ground, to ensure the individuals and community members are the

staples. the areas we engage in our areas of key interest to the community, because the community has said -- you mentioned three core areas, early childhood development, housing specifically for low income people, as well as financial stability. these are three core areas that really have a need, the challenges that communities are facing need -- they made this one of the most people in our country. so how we work is we partner with donors, ensuring that we understand community needs, work with the community to define solutions and fund them through the generosity of our donors. >> can you talk about one initiative that your donor funds have backed that really you think made a difference recently? >> i will talk about the covid pandemic and the last two years

in our region. covid, not only the human cost of the pandemic as a whole, but the economic devastation that hel -- happened. it really provided a huge impetus for us to erase more than $200 million -- raise $200 million and deploy them to our communities, to make sure that people remained a house, really pushing for a moratorium on evictions. making sure that folks had money in their pocket. we know that a lot of state and public resources that were devoted for our communities did not really reach a lot of our community members and the community foundation, through the generosity of our donors, was there to ensure that folks had money in their pocket. and then we worked with santa clara county, san mateo county, the city of san jose, to make

sure that there was the message of the importance of getting vaccinated, getting boosted. you know, a lot of that information does not reach neighborhoods. we worked with grassroots nonprofit organizations in it neighborhoods to make sure that folks have the information and wherewithal to get themselves vaccinated and boosted. so really, it is -- our work bridging the needs in the community and the solutions that emerge from community with the generosity of our donors to make sure they had the resources to work toward a better community for all. >> for those with significant means, i know you can work with them to open a fund. but even if you do not have significant means, you want to give in some small but meaningful way, what can we all do during this season of giving? >> thank you for that question, that is a question that i always want folks to ask. know that giving is good, giving does good. giving feels good.

we work with donor you can open a donor fund, which provides you philanthropic expertise and community needs. working with us, you can find more information on our website on how to do that. but we also have the year ended giving guide, which has a list of nonprofit organizations, really doing good in the community. so please give to the organizations, share the guides with your friends. with your neighbors. volunteer your time, any amount makes a difference. the important thing is that we all work together towards creating a more just and equitable silicon valley and that means our time, talent, or money in organizations and people are making a difference on the ground. >> genome with the silicon valley community foundation. great message, thank you so much. happy holidays. >> thank you. >> and our season of giving also focuses on a local

nonprofit that helps mothers with an expensive yet basic need. diapers. they cost an average of $100 per month. something so many bay area families cannot afford. the founder of help a mother out will (grandma) [in navajo] where are they? it is cold outside. (vo) wells fargo has donated $50 million dollars in support of indigenous peoples... including funding solar furnaces that convert sunlight... (grandma) come into the warm house (girl) hi grandma! (vo) into household heat. (grandma) [in navajo] are you kids hungry? (vo) doing gets it done. wells fargo, the bank of doing.

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the benefits you deserve for 2023. you can receive extra benefits for a zero dollar monthly premium, like dental, vision, hearing and prescription drugs. call 1-866-336-3448 and make sure you're not missing out. >> during the season of giving there is an urgent plea in the bay area to take care of the most vulnerable population. babies. although diapers are a basic need, public assistance programs like food stamps do not cover them. a bay area nonprofit is working to give non--- low income families access to diapers as launched a drive to meet that need and you can help. joining a slide to talk about the mission of help a mother out is founder lisa. hi, lisa. >> hi, thank you so much for having us. >> it is a pleasure to have yo back on again. we talk to you when you first started help a mother out. refresh our memories, the viewer's memories of why you started it. >> yet, so i started it when i

had a todd there at home and a baby in diapers. and we started the organization after we learned that diapers are not covered under traditional public assistance programs like food stamps or week. and so we knew that we needed to help other moms in our community. that is how we started. >> if you do the math, you don't think about it when you're buying one box, but when you do the math, it really adds up, doesn't it? >> >> it does. before the pandemic, a case of diapers cost between 75 and $100. because of the pandemic, with supply chain issues, we have actually seen the retail cost for diapers go up by 35%. >> so let me just ask you this, because of how excessive it is in the fact that there is no guaranteed access to free diapers, what kind of choices our families having to make sometimes? >> yeah, so, families are really faced with impossible choices. for example, in alameda county, a family is determined to be

extremely low income if they have -- a family of four, if they make $42,000 a year. so think about that. if you have a toddler and a baby and you also have housing and childcare expenses, it is impossible choices. what we are seeing is families having to make impossible choices between feeding themselves or tapering their child. purchasing medicine for their baby or diapers. there are all of these impossible choices, so that is why we exist as an organization, is because we truly believe that every baby ■inthe bay areaand beyond deserves clean diapers. >> how do you achieve your mission, how exactly are you working to supply moms and babies with diapers? >> our mission is twofold. first, our mission is to get as many diapers as possible to as many families in need as possible. in the second approach is that we are big advocates and always have been for including diapers into safety net programs.

so we advocate at the local, state and federal levels, so that more funding in terms of safety net programs will include diapers one day. >> ok. are you also giving out. products for women as well? question. because of the pandemic we have -- we've always known there was a need for supplies, but because of the pandemic and because we just know that there is so much meat on the ground, that is one area that we have expanded our programming in. so we have expanded to give out baby wipes, soap, and very importantly, supplies for our moms. our women and people. >> do give these to people who come as individuals or through social service agencies that you work with that work with individuals? >> we do not give diapers to individuals. our philosophy is there are so many great organizations working in the bay area to serve

families in need, so if you are in need of diapers or supplies, more likely than not you may be in need of other resources. it is not a requirement for families to participate in programming, but it's important to make the connection to the community. so if and when there is a family in crisis, at least they will know here is my neighborhood family resource center. >> ok. so what do you needed to be able to do your work? not that i can cut the $10 million check, but if that is the goal, you tell us and we will see what our viewers can do. what do you hope to accomplish, what you hope to hit in terms of your target? >> that is a really great question. we love funds. we can actually do more with funds. of course, we are encouraging people -- always encourage folks to host community diaper drives or period supply drives. but honestly, we could do more and scale with money. every dollar donated to help a mother out means that a baby gets diapers for a full day. a full-day supply of diapers, one dollar donated.

this holiday season, we are trying to ask our grassroots network to help us raise 100,000 dollars, so that we can continue getting these critical goods >> into the community. ok, so if you wanted to host a diaper drive, is that something individuals can just do? do they just reach out to you at help a mother out.org? >> yes, if you are part of a community group, for example, your church or your workplace or your school group, we definitely have a toolkit that you can utilize to collect period supplies or diapers and i would encourage anyone who is interested in that to contact us. through our website, helping mother out.org. >> you have any bins that are out right now during collection, sort of like what we see with toy drives?absolutely. give a >> >> handful of donation bin partners in the bay area. and you can go to our website, you can find a list of those partners, as well as a map and

business hours. and definitely, you know, we definitely need maxi pads. baby wipes and diapers. >> help a mother outcome up covering a need that is so often overlooked. take you so much, good luck and happy holidays. >> thanks so much. >> if you are looking for ideas and ways to help we have created a list of vetted local organizations that make a big impact in helping to build a better bay area. find the full list across the bay area when you can donate and get involved at abc seven news.com/take action.

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>> thank you for joining us today for get the answers. we will be here every weekday at 3:00, answering questions with experts from around the bay area. world news tonight with david muir is coming up next and i will see you back here at 4:00. tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. the trump organization convicted, guilty on all 17 counts. a jury of eight men and four women in new york city finding the trump organization guilty of fraud, conspiracy, and falsifying business records. what this means for the former president and his family, and tonight, what the trump organization is now saying. aaron katersky in new york. the other breaking headline. all eyes on georgia tonight. the high stakes runoff election for senate. senator raphael warnock and his challenger herschel walker campaigning for every last vote today. and thwhat this means, the big picture for both sides. the picture for the senate ahead. rachel scott in georgia tonight. also, the developing headline from the january 6th committee, indicating today they will issue criminal referrals to