Asking Marin Neighbors to Step up for Equity

Community Action Marin, the largest social services provider in the county, is asking its Marin neighbors to step up for equity through a wide-reaching year-end campaign, hoping to open residents’ eyes to the inequality in its midst.

Although face masks in Marin are starting to come off and the vaccination rate is climbing to one of the highest in the state, challenges facing low-income families are not going away. While many consider Marin County to be one of the most beautiful places to live in the United States, it has one of the widest gaps between rich and poor and is among the worst in terms of the racial inequities in the state.

Community Action Marin recently published its annual Impact Report which demonstrates the many challenges facing the county. 1 in 5 families (and 1 in 3 seniors) in Marin struggle to put food on the table.* 95% of Black households and 73% of Latinx households in Marin are struggling to make ends meet compared to 29% of white households.**

Community Action Marin is focused on supporting low-income families in need across the county and supports families, both with safety net services that provide assistance in an emergency, and with education, training, and services that can put them on the road to self-sufficiency.

“Community Action Marin is working with the individual and that is taking them one step at a time, whether it be through economic opportunity, financial gain, food access, education. So when you look at all of these services, they really wrap around the whole individual holistically.” - Alexandra Danino, Senior Programs Manager, SF-Marin Food Bank

Community Action Marin takes a holistic, intergenerational approach to ensuring improved outcomes for those served. They do this by connecting people to programs that are relevant to their needs and partnering with a strength-based perspective to help them meet their goals. And family means children, parents, and older adults in a household, as well as individuals living in a community of connection. That means if someone comes to them for help keeping the lights on at home, but then the success coach they speak to, also realizes that they don’t have access to childcare, or that a parent needs assistance with employment, they will also guide them to address those needs as well.

“Listening deeply to the needs of community changed how we worked this past year. We learned anew the power of our hearts as we came together across the county to help, to heal, and to hold one another through crisis and uncertainty. Our agency strengthened its whole-person, whole-family approach to meeting people where they are. We saw results. The data proved us right—more people received more support to stay housed, keep warm, and remain connected.” - Chandra Alexandre, Chief Executive Officer, Community Action Marin

Community Action Marin has been recognized as a leading nonprofit by Charity Navigator, and Great Nonprofits, and in 2020 was awarded California Nonprofit of the year by Assembly Member Marc Levine. This year the agency was also added to the 2021 Giving List.

* Facts and figures from the “Equitable Access to Healthy and Local Food in Marin County” report published by the Marin Food Policy Council, November 2016 **Insight Center Cost of Being California Report, 2021

ABOUT COMMUNITY ACTION MARIN: Community Action Marin is the largest nonprofit social services provider in the county, working for over 50 years to alleviate the causes and consequences of poverty. The agency fosters self-sufficiency and serves over 20,000 individuals annually across program sites and through mobile outreach to ensure the unhoused are safe and connected. The agency's service areas include Children & Family Services, Safety Net, Economic Opportunity & Workforce Development, Mental Health, Food Justice, and Equity Initiatives. Learn more at camarin.org