Hacienda Helping Hands is Hacienda's community giving campaign. The campaign is supported by a number of different types of initiatives that are designed to provide support to, and engage with, the local community. The scope of this community support and engagement extends throughout the Tri-Valley and activities undertaken by Hacienda Helping Hands are chosen with an eye toward those efforts that help strengthen the Tri-Valley community at large. Hacienda Helping Hands initiatives are diverse and aimed at not only providing direct contributions to specific efforts but in helping to build relationships and networks that enhance the efforts of individual organizations and interests.

Initiatives

Raising funds, taking on specific projects, and promoting worthy efforts are all part of the Hacienda Helping Hands campaign. Here are just a few of the details surrounding our work in different areas.

Fundraising and Granting

A key initiative in the Hacienda Helping Hands campaign is fundraising for the purpose of making grants to worthy social profit organizations that serve the Tri-Valley. Developed funds are primarily derived from Hacienda's investors and businesses. However, other local businesses and organizations have contributed as well. Special challenges, such as those supported by Kaiser Permanente and 1st United Services Credit Union, have created opportunities not only for fund development but to hear from businesses first hand about their priorities for community support. Grants are made from collected funds during specific granting cycles on receipt of grant applications or through special impact grants designed to focus on and support a key community project.

Alameda County Community Food Bank Food Drives

For over two decades, Hacienda has partnered with the Alameda County Community Food Bank ( www.ACCFB.org ) to raise much needed food and funds to help some of the most vulnerable members of our community. Hacienda Helping Hands has helped to develop participation in the Holiday Food Drive from businesses throughout the park to help the Food Bank meet their mission in Alameda County. In addition to the main drive during the holidays, Hacienda Helping Hands supports other Food Bank events throughout the year. Locally, a number of Tri-Valley operations are recipients of food and money collected by the Food Bank.

Tri-Valley Anit-Poverty Collaborative

Hacienda Helping Hands, Kaiser Permanente, the East Bay Community Foundation, and the East Bay Leadership Council in conjunction with community services agencies and city and local businesses leaders have been working together over the last several years to address the issue of suburban poverty in the Tri-Valley area. The goal is to facilitate an ongoing discussion about poverty in the Tri-Valley, which is often hidden, and create change to build prosperity for everyone in the community. Out of this effort, Tri-Valley Anti-Povery Collaborative ( www.TVAPC.org ) participants aim to find innovative solutions to lift struggling neighbors out of poverty and to increase donors and volunteers for the local social profit organizations that are often a first stop for those facing challenging times.

Organization and Event Promotion

Hacienda Helping Hands provides a number of opportunities to help promote community social profit organizations, and their events and activities. With thousands of local business and community contacts within reach through direct contact and social media, Hacienda Helping Hands highlights good work being performed throughout the Tri-Valley. Special focus is paid to individual organizations as a means of educating the public on their purpose and presence, as well as promotional opportunities for functions conducted by organizations that serve the region.

Pillars of the Tri-Valley

The Pillars of the Tri-Valley inaugural event took place in October, 2009, with key support from Hacienda Helping Hands, and has since provided a forum for locally serving organizations to solicit board and volunteer participation through an interactive networking event. At Pillar events, dozens of Tri-Valley organizations come together to present information to prospective board members and volunteers in a trade show type setting. Organizations provide information on their role in the community with key staff and board leadership available to discuss participation opportunities. Participants, primarily from local business leadership, interact with the organization representatives to determine where their skills and interests intersect with the missions and purpose of the participating organizations.

Participation

We welcome the participation of anyone interested in helping further our various initiatives. Inquiries about Hacienda Helping Hands projects and functions can be made as follows: