THRIVE Peninsula
THRIVE Peninsula is a volunteer-driven organization that helps families through financial hardship. In the last 12 months, the organization has distributed over $1 million in aid to Peninsula families. The organizations partners with 80 Peninsula churches, and hundreds of donors each year to help families stay afloat. Each week, THRIVE hosts 100 volunteers who, collectively, clock twice as many hours as paid staff so that the most resources are given to the mission. The organization focuses on being accessible, offering services in a dignity-restoring way, and facilitating a constant feedback loop between decision-makers and families served.
To keep struggling families housed and employed, THRIVE provides emergency financial assistance to assist with housing costs, transportation, or childcare. Each recipient meets with a trained financial coach to build a budget and gets connected to other financial tools. Then recipients can sign up for the Level Up program which incentives them with gift cards and other rewards to reach financial milestones such as opening a bank account, building an emergency savings account, or reducing their monthly spending. In addition, the organization houses an on-site food pantry that partners with several community gardens and grocery stores to provide fresh produce, eggs, milk, meats, and other fresh and frozen items to provide healthy foods. Families can self-select their food from the pantry in order to reduce waste and restore dignity.
In partnership with DoorDash and the organization’s own volunteers, THRIVE also manages a grocery delivery program for families who are sick or have significant transportation barriers.
During the holiday season, THRIVE aims to restore dignity through its Christmas initiative. Each selected family has faced significant financial hardship this year and each will receive one $75 holiday gift card per child which gives them the joy of selecting their own gifts for their children. In 2022, THRIVE hopes to provide the joy of Christmas to 650 children and their families.
To learn more about THRIVE Peninsula, please visit their website at https://www.thrivepeninsula.org/