CREER COVID-19 Pandemic Emergency Crisis Relief Fund

A heartfelt thank you from Angeles Ceballos, Executive Director & Rosario Rowell, Director of Education.  Greetings and Happy Holidays!  We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation for all your help and support during these trying times. As many of us move forward to celebrate this very unusual Holiday Season, we would like to invite you to reflect and to please take a moment to thank the universe for our families, our friends, our neighbors, and for our ability to provide for our children and loved ones. We are at the end of 2020 and together, we continue to face a truly unprecedented situation. The global coronavirus pandemic is affecting all of our families, our businesses, our communities, and our way of life in an unparalleled way. Our hearts go out to anyone who has been impacted by the virus, either directly or indirectly. Our thoughts are especially with those who are sick, to whom we extend our heartfelt wishes for a full recovery. We continue to truly be inspired by the selfless healthcare workers, first responders, police, firefighters, military, grocery employees, janitors, farm workers, volunteers, and many others around the world who are on the front lines working tirelessly to care for people in need.  These people are the true heroes of this pandemic. 

CREER is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization based in San Juan Capistrano. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, we were forced to close all of our youth programs. However, in the last nine months, we have been keeping our families informed about the COVID-19 crisis and directing them to vital community resources by www.Facebook.com/creeroc, text messages, and phone calls. Unfortunately, 95% of the families we serve live at or below the poverty level and this crisis is only aggravating their already dire situation.  In the past nine months, 100% of the calls that we have taken have been distress calls about the economic impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on our parents and how we can help them.  Several of them work in the housing, restaurant, and retail industries, and they have been directly affected by this crisis.  The situation is dire for many of our parents, having lost their jobs and not knowing where the next meal is going to come from or if they will have enough money to pay their rent. 

We created an emergency crisis relief fund and are asking for monetary donations to help our families in these very difficult times.  

Our goal is to raise $50,000.00 and we are asking everyone able, to please be generous in these times of need.  The COVID-19 Pandemic has affected us all in an unprecedented and terrible way and I am afraid that the consequences of this crisis are yet to be determined. Your donations supports CREER’s current Food Distribution efforts and the Family Fund which provides qualifying families with monetary help to pay for basic necessities. Every Tuesday, during the last 36 weeks (9 months) CREER/OCC Food Recovery Kitchen Pantry has distributed more than 778 Pallets of food, approximately 48,748 Boxes/Bags of food, 17 pallets of Diapers, and more than $37,000.00 in emergency funds and goods. CREER has been able to accomplish these remarkable goals and become a vital source of food to more than 850 of the most vulnerable families affected by the COVID-19 crisis in the San Juan Capistrano and adjacent communities thanks to the support of so many in our community; especially Alexandra Yates, OC Food Bank, The City of San Juan Capistrano, The Jewish Foundation, The Community Presbyterian Church, EDISON International, SDG&E, The Eckhart Family, The Welsh Family, Mr. & Mrs. Singer, and many wonderful People in our community who contributed monetary donations and most importantly, our more than 40 dedicated volunteers who work tirelessly every Tuesday.

CREER means to Believe. 

We believed that we would find a partner to provide food for our children and their families, and we did. We believed that people in our community would listen to our pleas for help, and they have, and we believe that they will continue to do so.  We believe in helping our children and their families through this crisis, and we believe we will break through stronger as a community. We believe in our community and the good in people's hearts, and we at CREER witness the good in people's hearts every day. Every Tuesday we work with 30-40 wonderful volunteers who work side by side (6 Feet apart), keeping social distance, wearing facemasks and gloves in very hot or very cold temperatures to put food on the tables of the people who have been most affected by the COVID-19 Crisis.  We believe in being grateful, and we want to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for helping us feed our children!!

We, at CREER, believe that education is the key that will open the door to a better future for our children and their families. However, CREER is more than just the Homework Club, Afterschool, and Summer Programs. We are also a vital source of information, advocacy, mentoring, and resource’s channeling to the CREER families. In the next few months we will continue to help our CREER families with their number one concern, which is food insecurity and in order to do so, we need your generosity. Any funding consideration to help our efforts would be heartedly appreciated.

Remember that there will always be someone more in need than us, and it is in times like these that our humanity and empathy toward our neighbors are most tested.  Today’s generosity toward someone else, maybe repaid to you or someone you love tomorrow.   “Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another.”– Mother Teresa.  If anyone would like to contribute to the CREER Emergency Crisis Relief Fund, please send your check to P.O. Box # 1347 San Juan Capistrano, CA  92693 or donate by using the donate now button at www.creeroc.org below.  

On behalf of our children, we thank you with all of our hearts for your support and constant dedication to us and the CREER Mission.  Have a wonderful day and stay safe. Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Merry Christmas and Happy New and Hopeful 2021!  

Most Sincerely,      

Angeles, Rosario & 

The CREER Board of Directors