Sharing Stories

Season of Sharing Fund provided some peace of mind to Raymond while he waited for veteran housing benefits to kick in. Raymond Fiuren has been through a lot of physically and after eight surgeries he's still often in pain. He finds relief in his work at a San Rafael elementary school, where he's known as Mr. Ray. When he found himself without a home, he was grateful for the Bay Area's uncommonly r...

Marie Harvey and her cat Mel were able to leave an unhealthy situation and move into a new apartment thanks to rental deposit assistance from  Season of Sharing Fund .  Marie was a pre-school before a series of back injuries left her in excuciating pain. She's making progress with her recovery in her new home — thankfully on the first floor — and she's hoping to get back to school soon. If you wan...

As food insecurity grows, we'll talk with Troy Brunet, who receives food from the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank  and volunteers for its Policy and Advocacy Coalition. We also hear from Chris Padula, the head of philanthropy for the SF-Marin Food Bank, which currently has a waiting list of more than 7,000 families. Chris unpacks the catastophic impact of deep funding cuts at the national level and...

Season of Sharing Fund provided some peace of mind to Jaime and Alejandra Ramirez after their daughter was born prematurely and Jaime's work dried up.  Their daughter had to stay in the hospital for over a year and during that time they depleted all of their savings. They were worried about how to pay rent and their landlord suggested they call 2-1-1. That's how they found out about Season of Shar...

Season of Sharing Fund provided some peace of mind to Olivia Alatorre, who worked hard to take care of her family for nearly 40 years and was then diagnosed with stomach cancer soon after she retired. Her medical bills piled up as she received treatment and she fell behind on her rent. Season of Sharing Fund helped pay her back rent, so she could stay in her home. In this episode, she shares her s...

Over the course of Season 02 of this series, we are going to introduce you to a few of the folks who've recently received one-time support from Season of Sharing Fund. If you want to hear more profiles of help and hope, or if you want to find out how you can help neighbors in crisis, go to SeasonofSharing.org/podcast . Did you know that one in four people in the United States have less than $1000...

Over the course of this season of episodes, you to got meet a few folks who've recently received one-time support from Season of Sharing Fund — and a couple who help make it happen.   As we wrap up this season, we thought it seemed only appropriate to end on a hopeful note. So I asked many of the people who were profiled: what would you do if you had a magic wand — with three wishes? If you want t...

Season of Sharing Fund gave some peace of mind — and dignity — to widower Michael Sharpe as he coped with the death of his wife. A couple of years after his wife Kimberly died, Michael Sharpe still keeps her clothes in the drawers and closets of his small Novato apartment. When Kimberly was first got diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2020, she was still able to manage her small business. Her cancer...

Season of Sharing Fund gave some peace of mind to Jose Guevara while he focused on his daughter's health.  Jose is the proud papa of five, including Patti, 14, Richard, 13, and Emiliee, 5.  Patti Guevara's pain started two years ago — in her back and her knees. Doctors brushed off her father's concerns, blamed her symptoms on her weight and sent her home with aspirin. Guevara took her to "basicall...

Did you know it costs upwards of $50,000 to help one person find stable housing after they lose their home? Meanwhile, it takes just a couple thousand to help someone deal with an unexpected financial emergency and stay in their home. That is where the Season of Sharing Fund comes in. Started in 1986, Season of Sharing Fund is a unique, compassionate homelessness prevention model that's powered by...

Season of Sharing Fund gave some peace of mind to retired nonprofit leader Marlus Stewart.  Asking for help wasn't supposed to be part of Stewart's story. She was the helper. But in 2019, the unimaginable happened. Stewart's son, her only child, died of suicide at age 50. The grief was unbearable and struggling with health issues, she "lost everything."  She had been living in her car off and on f...

Season of Sharing Fund gave some peace of mind to aspiring boxing champ Keoni Washington, who became parent and breadwinner to his brothers after their mother passed  away early in the pandemic. We meet him at the East Bay apartment he shares with three of his brothers.  Keoni received rental assistance from Season of Sharing Fund in 2023, which has allowed him and his brothers to stay in their ho...

Over the course of this series, we are going to introduce you to a few of the folks who've recently received one-time support from Season of Sharing Fund  — and a couple of the people who help make it happen. If you want to hear more profiles of help and hope, or if you want to find out how you can help neighbors in crisis, go to SeasonofSharing.org/podcast . Did you know that one in four people i...