Homeless Fund

Donations to the Homeless Fund will help supply toiletries, clothing, identification card/application fees, furnishings, or cooking utensils/appliances, or may fund expenses like a utility bill or car repair for those experiencing, at risk for, or exiting homelessness.

At-Risk Youth (Human Services)

The funds donated to the Human Services At-Risk Youth fund benefit youth who are participating in an employment program and working to make the transition to adulthood and self-sufficiency. This program helps youth in need of emergency monies for necessities such as transportation, work apparel, utilities, medical, dental, and prescription expenses.

Step Up

Your donations to the Step Up program will be used for collateral items (i.e., T-shirts, backpacks, etc.), venue rental, event food, printing, speakers' fees, awards, materials, and other items associated with Step Up—a movement to encourage youth to participate in extracurricular activities, foster positive associations, and connect to constructive social networks.

Veterans Services

Contributing toward the support of our local veterans through the VSO General Fund is a great opportunity for the members of the community to give back and thank veterans for their services.

Tulare County Parks–Lily Pond

For more than five decades the Lily Pond was a popular water feature in Mooney Grove Park. Due to the increasing cost of repair and maintenance over time, the Lily Pond is been non-functional for the past 15 years. To avoid demolition and to honor the history of the Lily Pond, the County is seeking donations from the community to help repair and restore the Lily Pond.

K/T AAA - Kings/Tulare Area Agency on Aging

The Kings/Tulare Area Agency on Aging helps provide programs and activities for local senior citizens, from arts and crafts to Medicare counseling, line dancing to home-delivered meals. Your donations to the Area Agency on Aging will help us continue to provide a wide range of services and activities to encourage older Americans to remain healthy, active, and involved in the community.

Suicide Prevention Task Force (SPTF)

SPTF envisions a county without suicide and aims to accomplish this by implementing a full range of strategies, starting from prevention and early intervention. Your donations to the SPTF will help increase prevention and early intervention services, and help our community members better understand and recognize the signs and symptoms of suicide risk.

WIC Partners with Tule River Tribe, Helps Close Equity Gap

Over the last two years, the WIC program has undergone major changes to modernize its services. This modernization has enabled the program to enhance the services it provides to the community and find strategies that improve access and close equity gaps.

In December 2019, the Public Health Branch held a convening with the Tribe to determine how HHSA could support the tribe and connect Tribal members to additional services. During the Summer of 2021, the National WIC Association created a funding opportunity to advance Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives. Historically, Tulare County WIC has not conducted targeted engagement with specific communities. Knowing the lack of services available to the Native American population, and specifically prenatal and postpartum mothers, the opportunity to apply for this funding created an opportunity to collaborate and build a relationship with the Tule River Indian Tribe to address this gap in services and resources.

It was important to establish a bond and build trust with the tribal community; without this collaboration, progress would not be possible. That collaboration developed within months of meeting regularly, which was exciting for all involved. This enabled Tulare County WIC and Tule River tribal members to establish a task force to assess the ongoing needs of the tribe. The task force consisted of Tule River Indian Health Center (TRIHC) Executive Leadership, Purchase Referred Staff, Diabetes Educators, Tule River Outreach staff, Tule River Behavioral Health, and Tulare County WIC leadership, who would meet regularly over a ten-month period to continue to grow the collaboration.

This task force and the passion all involved demonstrated for the communities they serve has enabled WIC to integrate into the TRIHC, with services expected in the fall of 2022. While the task force continues to plan for WIC integration later this year, other opportunities have been identified to make a more immediate impact on tribal members. TRIHC staff have received education materials and are going through breastfeeding education training to offer services/education independent of the WIC program for sustainability. Currently, a resource and WIC referral process for patients is in development to ensure success this fall.

This collaboration is exciting, and this is only the beginning. Key staff and leaders in Tule River wish to also collaborate with other programs within Tulare County HHSA. It is refreshing and inspiring to work with such caring and passionate people and their positive energy to ensure that WIC finds a place in the TRIHC to connect mothers to much-needed services.

To learn how donations to the WIC program will help provide assistance to mothers and children and engaging community members and stakeholders, click here.

 

Tulare County will look to have a WIC satellite location at the Tulare River Indian Reservation Health Center in late fall or winter 2022.
First in-person meeting (l-r): Sabino Martinez, COO; Dr. Zahid Sheikh, CEO; Elizabeth Evans, RD (HHSA WIC); Sarah Smith, RD (HHSA WIC Director); Francine Gibson; and Alma Bravo.
Tule River—WIC Task Force (l-r): Rosa Caldera, LVN; Erika Angulo; Cathy Porter, IBCLC; Sarah Smith, RD (HHSA WIC Director); Francine Gibson; and Alma Bravo (not present: Amy Orosco, Sharon Mayo, Elizabeth Evans, RD, and Leah Williams, RN).