Charities We Support
The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others.
– Albert Schweitzer
NO MORE POVERTY believes in the good work these charity organizations are doing and supports them. If you would like to support their efforts too, please contact them directly to do so.
Children’s Hunger Fund
Since 1991, Children’s Hunger Fund has distributed 1 billion dollars in food and resources to serve the needs of more than 10 million children in the United States and 72 countries around the world. Because hunger is a complex issue, it uses a unique in-home delivery method directly to the homes of poor children and family. Additionally, the organization runs many on-going programs that benefit needy individuals and disadvantaged communities – programs include schools, medical clinics, emergency relief, and clean water.
Children of the Night
Children of the Night was founded in 1979 by Dr. Lois Lee and it is the first established and only comprehensive program to help young victims of sex trafficking in North America. For the first three years of operation, more than 250 child prostitutes passed through Lee's two-bedroom apartment. With a generous grant, she was able to buy food for the children and turn her home phone into what would become the first nation’s sex trafficking hotline. In 1992, she opened the internationally-recognized Children of the Night shelter which receives child prostitutes ages 11-17 from across the United States. The shelter accommodates up to 24 residents at a time and provides an on-site school, individual case management, wholesome recreational outings, and a chance to experience a childhood free from sexual exploitation.
Create Now
During 16 years of service, Create Now has served more than 28,000 of the neediest youth in Southern California. The organization works with vulnerable kids and young adults ages 2-25 who have been abused, neglected, abandoned, orphaned, or incarcerated. Its creative arts programs allow participants to heal and explore their unique creative self-expression and passions. Create Now also helps connect kids with available jobs, internships, scholarships, and free resources.
Dandelion Wishes
Dandelion Wishes evolved from a personal story of redemption, where founder and director, Lesley Glenn discovered healing from her pain and a new passion for life through painting and self-expression. And now, that is exactly what she offers and teaches others – how to access the healing and transformative aspects of art and creativity. With a heart for social justice at all levels, Glenn uses art because it transcends all languages, cultures and economic conditions. She has taken Dandelion Wishes to impoverished children and women in Nicaragua and provides healing arts workshops in prisons, juvenile detention centers, women’s shelters, and rehabilitation centers.
Drop in the Bucket
Since 2006, Drop in the Bucket has been working with villages in East Africa to drill wells and construct sanitation facilities. They employ local training teams to engage communities and address complex issues associated with local water systems and introduce community sanitation and hygiene initiatives. And, believing education is one of the most effective ways of moving a country out of poverty, Drop in the Bucket introduces social programs such as Village Savings and Loan Associations, Girl’s Clubs, and Health Clubs to poor communities.
The Foundation for Second Chances, Inc.
The Foundation for Second Chances, Inc. utilizes hands-on education, mentoring, health awareness, and community services to maximize the potential of youth. The organization works to provide children with basic necessities such as a quality education, the chance to flourish in a safe and nurturing environment, an opportunity to build self-confidence and self-esteem, and the ability to achieve. Through its network of 300+ volunteers – many of which are local business, community and government leaders – Second Chances serves more than 150 kids each day and an average of 1,500 every year.
Girls on the Run
Girls on the Run combines training for non-competitive running events with lessons that help young women to recognize and honor their individual strengths and talents. Lessons inspire the girls to celebrate their bodies, honor their voices, recognize their gifts, and activate their power. The 12-week program concludes with a celebration of the girls’ success with participation in a non-competitive 5k (3.1 mile) walk/run. Girls on the Run International is a 501c3 organization that operates in more than 150 cities across North America, changing the lives of thousands of girls every year. Molly Barker, MSW, and four-time Hawaii Ironman triathlete, founded the organization in 1996.
The mission of International Surgical Mission Support
The mission of International Surgical Mission Support is to provide free medical care for those in need in poor countries and to teach and train local medical professionals. Groups travel with the equipment and supplies to set up four fully functional operating rooms, a recovery room, and a pharmacy anywhere in the world within hours of arrival. ISMS teams have worked in many countries including Vietnam, Peru, Nepal, Zambia, India, Egypt, and many more.
Jessica’s Hope Project
Jessica’s Hope Project is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that sends fitness care packages to members of the United States military stationed around the world. One day, founder Jessica Maddin read a statistic about how the average soldier loses 50 pounds during deployment. This doesn’t seem right, she thought, someone should do something. So she did. A receptionist at 24 Hour Fitness, Jessica emailed a corporate executive about helping out; he agreed and the Jessica’s Hope Project was born. The organization provides the soldiers with protein bars, vitamin supplements, and other healthy options. Jessica packs them up and sends them to military men and women with a note of thanks. The impact on the troops is profound as the Project’s website conveys.
Love in the Mirror
Love in the Mirror is a true labor of love by Jonas Corona (now eight years old). Through his charity, Jonas strives to inspire other young people to make a difference through their volunteer commitment of providing needy and homeless youth basic necessities such as food, clothing and learning materials. Jonas and Love in the Mirror were recently featured on the ABC television show Secret Millionaire.
Martha’s Kitchen
In 2011, Martha’s Kitchen celebrated its 30th anniversary and also marked the serving of its 2,000,000 meal. Its well-known mission is to “feed the hungry with dignity, no questions asked, no judgment made”. Today, they tell of seeing and serving more families as the nation’s high unemployment rate makes family situations more dire. The kitchen is named after Martha, from the Bible’s New Testament, who unfailingly offered hot meals to Jesus and his band of followers on their frequent journeys.
Mercy House
Mercy House is a non-profit organization founded in 1988 by Father Jerome T. Karcher. In the last 12 months, Mercy House has helped nearly 600 individuals remain in their homes, served nearly 2,000 people at access centers, aided more than 3,600 in emergency shelter programs, transitioned more than 190 people out of temporary shelters, and facilitated permanent housing for over 400. Breaking through the stereotype of the homeless person, Mercy House successfully sets a standard in its services to homeless men, women and children. It is the Mercy House mission to be a leader in ending homelessness for those who enter its system of care by providing a unique system of dignified housing alternatives, programs and supportive services.
Operation HOPE
A global nonprofit, dedicated to financial dignity, Operation HOPE promotes self-respect and self-sufficiency through financial literacy and education tools to underserved communities in more than 273 cities worldwide. Through its four core portfolios, the organization provides programs for youth and adult financial literacy, economic preparedness, digital empowerment, home ownership, and foreclosure prevention to more than 2 million individuals.
Pacifica Resource Center
Since 1974, the Pacifica Resource Center has ensured the basic needs of its community members are met and that they are empowered with an opportunity to thrive. For every dollar donated, the Center uses 91 cents to provide food and shelter for those struggling to make ends meet. To help stabilize families and individuals, the Center provides a safety net of food, housing assistance, and other critical services along with advocacy, coaching, information and referrals. Pacifica is a coastal community of more than 37,000 people, located to the southwest of San Francisco, California.
A Place Called Home
A Place Called Home is a non-profit youth center in South Central Los Angeles where underserved children and young people are empowered to take ownership of the quality and direction of their lives. Founded in 1993, it started as a place that gang-affected youth could come after school, get a snack, do homework, hang with friends, and be with people that care. Today, A Place Called Home offers a variety of activities including an all-day school, computer lab, music and art classes, and mentoring and tutoring programs. By addressing their basic needs and rights, the center staff and programs inspire kids to make a meaningful difference in their community and the world.
The Portland Hoop Kings
Founded in 2003, the Portland Hoop Kings is an inner city youth basketball program that uses competitive athletics as a motivational vehicle to prepare boys, 10 to 17 years old, for the ultimate game of life. Through PHK programs, offered in conjunction with the Inner City Players Athletics Program, student/athletes learn life-long lessons, build character, work within a team structure, maximize educational opportunities, and are exposed to various cultures. The program’s student/players have a 95% high school completion rate with 90% of those moving on to high education opportunities. They are also extremely competitive, three PHK teams hold Oregon State Championship titles and two of the teams played in the 2011 national tournament.
Raphael House
Raphael House was established in 1971 as the first shelter for children and families experiencing homelessness in Northern California. What began as a homeless drop-in shelter has grown into a full service family support center where families thrive. Today’s mission is to help at-risk families achieve stable housing and financial independence while strengthening family bonds and personal dignity. In 2011, the charity served 1,072 individuals who were at-risk or experienced homelessness through its Residential Shelter, AfterCare/ChildReach, and Housing First programs.
Simone’s Kids
Simone’s Kids was founded in 2010 by twenty year old Simone Plimpton who was moved by the poverty and devastation faced by the Ugandan people. Today, Simone’s Kids operates a school in the Ugandan town of Nakaske and is raising funds to build an orphanage and private school. Future plans include the construction of family homes, the establishment of a medical clinic, and development of children’s sports programs. Uganda is one of the poorest countries in Africa with more than 35% of the population living below the poverty line.
The Story Project
Enlisting one of Los Angeles' most abundant resources -- creative talent, The Story Project was founded in 1998 by folks concerned by declining literacy rates in schools. To date more than a thousand at-risk kids have participated in this unique curriculum and the numbers continue to grow. The strategy is simple, inspire literacy through media avenues young people already enjoy. Classes are held after-school and are led by working writers, actors, directors and production professionals volunteering their time for students. Through discussions and activities based in screenwriting, filmmaking, poetry, photography, and an assortment of media and art related fields, creative mentors reveal personal stories while inspiring the kids to share their own. These interactions bolster self-esteem while enhancing reading and writing skills. The Story Project recently expanded to schools and youth programs in Texas and Maryland.
Under the Bridges & On the Streets
Under the Bridges & On the Streets is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit hands-on service organization that serves homeless people throughout the county of Los Angeles. Established in 1993, it is dedicated to serving those who are unable to utilize or access shelters and soup kitchens. Program volunteers physically take food to the homeless where they live and congregate – on the streets, under bridges, and in camps. When available, the organization also distributes clothes, shoes, blankets and toiletries to those in need. Program volunteers believe in the dignity of the individual and strive to enhance the lives of those they serve as well as those who serve.
Upward Bound House
No More Poverty and its co-founders Michael Omidi, MD and Julian Omidi will help sponsor Upward Bound House’s Annual Welcome Home Celebration. Upward Bound House provides community-based housing placement and support services to families and low-income seniors. Founded in 1991, the non-profit agency offers an array of services that give families the tools needed to achieve self-sufficiency, including parenting classes and financial training combined with intensive case management. In 2011, Upward Bound House served more than 120 families with an astonishing 95% retaining their new homes for at least six months after graduation.