Our Mission
BasicNecessities is a non-profit charitable organization, headquartered in Livermore, California. Our mission is to provide resources to people in need, particularly those in transitional or crisis situations, who are trying to improve their lives.
We do this by providing resources, such as in-kind donations, limited financial assistance, and information, to those in need of life's basic necessities, including food and shelter, financial and educational aid, medical assistance, pregnancy counseling and assistance, safety from abusive relationships, re-entry into the community, and help from alcohol and substance abuse. We serve the Tri-Valley area (Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore, and nearby communities), and various mission locations.
The resource pages on this web site (ie. navbar to the right) provide information about local resources in the Tri-Valley area; food, shelter, financial aid, legal aid, educational aid, medical assistance, pregnancy resources, alcohol and substance abuse recovery, and help for victims of domestic violence. The pages are designed to be printed so that you can give them to a friend or someone in need.
BasicNecessities is a 501(c)3 public charity recognized by the Internal Revenue Service, and qualified to grant receipts for tax-deductible donations.
You can make donations using the PayPal link at the right, or by sending a check to our address at the bottom of this page. By using the GoodSearch and GoodShop buttons to the right, BasicNecessities will receive a small amount of money for each search, as well as a small percentage of your purchase value, at no extra cost to you. Please also visit our How You Can Help page.
2008 Programs
Gift Baskets for Homeless Moms * Support to Local Families & Individuals
Holiday Food Baskets * Shoes for Livermore K-5 Students * Student Grants
Young Latina Self Esteem *
Bus Passes * Cuba * Ensenada * Belize * Books
We want to thank all of our sponsors for your gracious support. We would not be able to do our work without your help.
Gift Baskets for Homeless Moms "Baskets of Love"
The homeless mothers at Tri-Valley Haven and Shepherds Gate homeless and domestic violence shelters are often overlooked on Mother's Day. This past may, the Mothers were presented with gift baskets containing a gift certificate at a local restaurant, nail polish, mascara, lip gloss, earrings and a bracelet, a music CD, a journal, coffee or tea and a mug, bath items, and much more. We focused our attention on providing gifts that the women would normally have little hope of receiving. This year we provided 60 baskets: 10 baskets to Shepherd's Gate Women's Shelter, 27 baskets to Tri-Valley Haven Homeless and Domestic Violence Shelters, and 23 baskets to moms in Livermore's Migrant Worker Program.
(2008: Photos)
Last year, we were able to provide 35 gift baskets to the moms at Shepherd's Gate and Tri-Valley Haven.
(2007: News, Photos)
Support to Local Families and Individuals
Imagine sharing a one bedroom apartment with 7 people, or being a single mom with 5 children and also being a victim of domestic violence, or moving into an apartment with no furniture or cooking tinsels, or just needing to ask for help in a crisis but not knowing English well enough to do so. Due to your generous support, and grants from local foundations, we are able to provide crisis support and in some cases financial support for the purchase of groceries, clothes, and other items.
As part of this effort, we provide food, clothing, and bedding on an ongoing basis to families of children who attend Marylin Avenue Elementary School in Livermore, Ca.
How you can help: Donate food, furniture, kitchen utensils, and clothes in good condition, disposable baby diapers, baby formula, money, or cars and trucks. For a more detailed list of our needs, please see our "How You Can Help" page.
Holiday Food Baskets
This program provides food baskets to low-income families during the holiday season. Last year, during the gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we were able to provide 25 food baskets to families of CAPE (Community Association for Preschool Education) students in Livermore. The CAPE program serves low-income, Children 0-5 years of age, pregnant women, and children with special needs. Each holiday food basket contained a turkey and all the other foods for a holiday meal. Last year we were also able to provide food baskets during the Easter holiday to several families. (Photos)
How you can help; Donate food, cash, or help us put the holiday baskets together and distribute them to the needy families.
Student Grants
We offer two types of grants. Reentry Grants are for students who are reentering the academic environment after a long period of time away of academia. First in Family Grants are for those students who are the first in their family to attend college. The focus of our grant program is economic need. Applicants must be enrolled in at Las Positas College or Chabot Junior College. Applications will be accepted in February and March. Please visit us again for updates.
Sole Mates (Shoes) - Livermore
Imagine being in the 2nd grade and never having had new shoes. It's hard to believe, but that is exactly what happened this year when we gave new shoes to a number of underprivileged students at Marylin Avenue Elementary in Livermore. The children were so excited and there were so many tears of joy (mostly the adults watching). This year we want to provide shoes for additional children at Jackson Avenue Elementary, and Portola Elementary, also in Livermore. (Photos)
How you can help: We primarily need financial support, because the shoes are purchased to fit specific children. With the discounts provided by local businesses, shoes are typically less than $20.
Nosotras En Control
This program is for middle-school and high-school aged Latina girls. Nosotras En Control is for Latina girls who are the first or second generation of their family to live in the Unites States. They are also typically the first women in their families to attend school after the primary grades, and thus the first to have a chance at graduating from high school. The goal of the Nosotras En Control program is to empower and educate young Latinas in the Tri-Valley so that they can become the leaders of tomorrow. This program focuses on building self-esteem, making positive choices and creating an educational plan. For many of the girls, gangs and teenage pregnancy are what await them if they do not “take control” when they are young. BasicNecessities.org works with several departments at Las Positas College in Livermore to provide the girls with a series of workshops during the summer. (Photos)
Bus Pass Buddies
Trying to get to work, to school, or to the doctors, without a car can be an overwhelming challenge. Although many services are free in our community, transportation is not one of them. Bus passes cost $50 per month. Your one-time or ongoing donation of $50 a month can make a big difference in someone's life.
Cuba Mission
The Cuba mission program, started last year, will provide shoes, school supplies, and books to school age children in rural areas of Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, and Camagüey. Cuba is an extremely poor country, and many school age children in rural areas are not able to go to school because they don't have the proper shoes. Also school supplies are difficult for the average family to obtain. BasicNecessities, in collaboration with Las Positas College, will work to purchase these items in Cuba (since they can't be imported into the country).
Ensenada Mission
Colonia Emiliana Zapata, an impoverished community in the foothills above Ensenada, Mexico, has all the problems that plague our local communities: single parent families, alcohol and drug addictions, domestic violence, but also extreme poverty. We continue to support to a children's center called Casa de Pan, a place where latch-key children (grades K - 5) are able to stay safely until their parents return home from work, and where they receive a hot meal, love and attention, and help with their homework. This year, we are also supporting a project to do repair and construction work in the homes of single moms, for example installing closets and bathroom sinks, and fixing plumbing.
(Ensenada 2008 Summer Mission)
(Photo's of previous missions)
Belize Mission
We provide ongoing support to "Da Wata Fountin'" in Punta Gorda, Toledo, Belize. This project began as an outreach to the many Belizeans who spend their nights on Front Street involved in prostitution, drugs, and alcohol abuse. As in many third world countries, young girls who have been prostitutes are no longer welcome by their families. When someone comes to Da Wata Fountin' the staff works to build a relationship with them, share Christ, and help connect that person with local ministries that will integrate them back into the local community. Da Wata Fountin' has since grown into a broader ministry to share the word of Christ with the locals.
(Video of Belize mission)
Directors, Co-Founders
Charles Thiel, - Co-founder
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An interview with Charles Thiel
Catherine (Suarez) Dunbar - Director, Co-founder
Denise Rogers - Director, Co-founder
Volunteers
We wish to thank our many volunteers. We would not be able to do our work without your help.
History
It's a God thing...
Donations
If you are interested in providing support to one of these projects, please send your donations to the following address, or contact us:
BasicNecessities, Inc.
P.O. Box 1167
Livermore, CA 94551
For Belize and Mexico Mission support, BasicNecessities is no long accepting donations. However, you may donate to these activities through:
Care 4 My Lambs, Inc.
P.O. Box 956
Pleasanton, CA 94566
You can also donate using PayPal: