Families Gather at the Desiderio Community Stone Soup Dinner

The Second Annual Stone Soup Dinner Hosted by Desiderio Homeowners, Macha and Melissa

 

This Thanksgiving, Desiderio homeowners, Macha and Melissa, gathered all nine families to host the second annual Stone Soup Dinner on the front lawns of their San Gabriel Valley Habitat homes. 

The event was inspired by the children’s book, Stone Soup, written by Marcia Brown. The story of Stone Soup is a popular European folktale where three hungry soldiers seek food and shelter from a small village. The people of the village are experiencing hard times and they were afraid to share anything from their cupboards. 

Upon discovering that they weren’t going to be offered any food or shelter, the soldiers declared they will be making “stone soup.” The soldiers ask if anyone has a pot to cook it in and slowly the villagers muster up the courage to share a pot, water, and fire to heat it. The soldiers recruit everyone to add stones to the pot and little by little the stones were added. Eventually the people begin to run to their cupboards to add other ingredients they had such as salt, pepper, carrots, cabbage, beef, and more. What had started out as a merely stones had transformed into a “rich person’s soup.” 

“When each member of our community contributes to the making of this soup, it becomes a tangible way to celebrate our differences and the struggles and joys that unify us…together at one table, from one pot, one spoonful at a time,” said Melissa. 

This story inspired Macha and Melissa to create the Desiderio community’s Stone Soup Dinner. For the last couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, the families of the Desiderio community dropped off various ingredients on Macha and Melissa’s doorstep.  

At the end of the week, it was all thrown together to make a unique and delicious pot of soup with stones included!  

The soup included potatoes, pearl onions, carrots, celery, chicken, garlic, and miso – all unique ingredients the nine families contributed to making their very own “Stone Soup!” 

“The soup is a tradition that has so many layers of meaning. It came about as a way to stay connected during the height of the pandemic. It’s a reminder that we are not alone, that we don’t need to fear scarcity, and that our uniquely diverse community can create something truly remarkable when we realize the potential in every small act,” said Macha. 

The Desiderio homeowners take on Stone Soup illustrates how Habitat ties families together to create a community. You can help create more memories like Stone Soup Dinner for San Gabriel Valley families. Join our Expanding the American Dream campaign (Three Years. 100 families. Unlimited Dreams.)

Be Like Elizabeth: The 8-year old girl who donated her savings to help families like hers have a safe and affordable home

 

Elizabeth, the daughter of San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity homeowners, Alejandra and Gilberto, donated $117 to help families in need of safe, decent, and affordable homes.  

Alejandra, Gilberto, and their four kids, suffered from constant health issues due to the poor conditions of their previous rented home.  

“It was always too cold or too hot. Since we moved to our Habitat home in Pasadena, we have not had to go to any doctor’s visits, other than yearly physicals. None of us got sick and we are so grateful,” said Alejandra. 

Moving into the Desiderio community in August of 2018 changed the family’s lifestyle. According to her family, Elizabeth has always been a giver. From donating her clothes and toys to family and friends in Mexico, to delivering food to the homeless along her commute to school she is always thinking of others.  

After meeting a Habitat supporter, Elizabeth made plans for her and her younger brother, Jonathan, age 6, to save $100 to donate. When the time came, she told her brother, “Don’t worry, I got it!” 

Elizabeth presented a custom hand-painted check of $117 to Executive Director, Bryan Wong, at a donor event located at our Desiderio Homes in Pasadena. The $117 came from her savings, which she saved from birthdays, tooth fairy visits, allowances, and more.  

When asked why she chose to give her savings to Habitat, Elizabeth said that “it will help Habitat families have a better life.” 

Elizabeth’s dream is to be a schoolteacher, specifically, a “compassionate and loving teacher,” or  speech therapist. She credits her elementary school teachers who taught her the valuable lessons of kindness, teamwork, and sharing. 

Elizabeth is also involved in various extracurricular activities in school. She enjoys playing sports including soccer, basketball, baseball, and swimming. She is planning to join the swim team next year. 

“Elizabeth is a very generous girl with a great heart. She is always thinking of others and how she can contribute to making people smile. This is not the first time she has shown her generosity. I’m so proud to be her mother,” said Alejandra.  

Elizabeth has no intention of stopping her fundraising efforts either and will continue to contribute back to the community! 

Those interested in following her lead and donating, donate $117 like Elizabeth! If your savings are anywhere from $17 to $1117, be like Elizabeth and join our Expanding the American Dream campaign by donating to help families achieve their dream of living in a safe and affordable home. 

Macha and his family say “thank you!”

 

Hello Friends,

2020 has been a year of uncertainty and hardships. Every single one of us has felt the impacts of COVID-19 and is trying to adapt to a new normal as the pandemic continues to threaten our communities.

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I ask that you pause to take a moment to reflect on what you have to be thankful for this year. Perhaps what comes to mind is that you are grateful to have a comfortable and secure place to live where you are able to stay “safer at home” and “shelter in place” when such an unprecedented event like COVID-19 occurs.

For families like Macha’s, who have already partnered with us to build and buy their own homes, owning a Habitat home has offered great peace of mind in such an uncertain time…

On this Thanksgiving, Macha’s daughter Maika and son Ren will have the room they need to play and limit their exposure to others.

“Owning a home in these uncertain times has provided stability for our children. Within the walls of our home, our children experience safety. This is a gift beyond measure.”

“We are thankful to have the space for our kids to play in, especially in the yard. I can’t imagine what it might be like for families living in overcrowded apartments with no outdoor space during the lockdown.”

Because of your support, our Habitat partner families have something to be grateful for this year…a permanent place to call home during these challenging times, and always.

Sadly, there are still thousands of local low-income families in the San Gabriel Valley region without a decent place to live. As jobs are lost, hours are cut and the economy slows, low-income families are hit the hardest. They always are. These families are going to need our hand up now more than ever. And now more than ever, we need your support.

This Thanksgiving season, please consider making a generous gift to SGV Habitat to help empower more families through affordable homeownership. Every gift – any amount – makes a difference!

Gratefully,

Mark Van Lue
Executive Director

—-

Donate now to help more families like Macha’s this Thanksgiving season!

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Home for the Holidays

 

The holiday season often leads us to reflect on what is truly important. For me, this time of year is particularly special. I am always moved by the charitable acts from kind people like you who respond to our urgent request to help our community’s families in need.

For many low-income families in Northeast Los Angeles, Pasadena, Glendale, and the San Gabriel Valley, the holidays can be a hard and stressful time…a stark reminder of what it means not to have an affordable and permanent place to live.

This year more than ever, our community’s low-income families need your help. The pandemic has been unforgiving as these families have endured significant financial hardships and uncertainty. The cost of housing is weighing even heavier on those who were already struggling to keep a roof over their heads.

With your holiday gift, you can help a family receive the best gift of all…the opportunity to become homeowners with their very own decent and affordable place to call home.

Imagine how meaningful this holiday season could be for a family who receives the good news that they have qualified for our program and will become homeowners or receive help repairing their home! You can bring this joyful news to a family by making a donation right now.

You have helped more than 230 families spend their holidays in a home that is safe, decent and affordable, including the local families pictured above.

Harold, Idalia, and their family moved into their home last year. We are happy to tell you that they are thriving in their new Habitat home in Pasadena! Keep reading to see what life was like before homeownership and how their lives are now.

Before, their rental house was so small, they converted the porch into a bedroom.
Now, their home is large enough to comfortably house their family of six.

Before, the doorways were so narrow that Harold and Idalia had to carry Paula, their wheelchair-bound daughter, from room to room.
Now, Paula finally has a home that works for her! It has a ramp, wide doorways, and an accessible bathroom.

Before, the ever-present stress in their lives was worrying about constant moves due to increasing rent.
Now, “My parents no longer worry about having to move us again.”, said their daughter Katherine.

“Everything has changed for the better,” Idalia told us. “Our children are happier and feel more secure.”

Harold and Idalia know that owning their own home is making it possible for their children to have a better future.

Supporters like you have made this dream a reality for Harold and Idalia! Your continued contributions will make it possible for even more families to achieve the same dream that Harold and Idalia have. You make it possible for families to become homeowners.

Celebrate this holiday season by giving hope to another family in need by making a gift to San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity today.

Gratefully,

Mark Van Lue
Executive Director

P.S. Give more families like Harold and Idalia’s a hand up – not a hand out – to help them build and buy their own decent and affordable homes. Please send your most generous holiday gift today!

Homes, Communities, Hope, + You

Habitat homeowner Christina tells supporters what having a safe and stable home means for her family. 

When more people get involved – change happens.

As a result of COVID-19, more than 300 million people in 42 states have been asked to “stay at home” — and now more than ever, home is everything.

From May 11-31, San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity has launched the Homes, Communities, Hope + You campaign to ensure that we are able to continue— and accelerate —our work in San Gabriel Valley to ensure that everyone has a decent place to call home. As the economic shocks from this crisis ripple out, the need for affordable, safe, and healthy housing is more apparent than ever.

— We cannot do our work without your help. Habitat is needed now more than ever. And now more than ever, we need you. Here’s how you can help!

• Get involved on social media
  • Take a selfie like the one on the right with the message “SGV Habitat + ME” on the sign. Use one of the post suggestions below or create your own – and challenge your friends!
    • I’m excited to join #SGVHabitat’s Homes, Communities, Hope + You campaign! I challenge [tag 2-3 friends] to join me in spreading this awesome community. Share your selfie!
    • I’m standing with #SGVHabitat and sharing my selfie to support the idea of Homes, Communities, Hope + You! Let’s flood the internet with positivity and connection during this time!
    • I support Habitat’s mission because I believe that home should be a place of comfort & safety during a time of uncertainty. I challenge you to share your selfie & declare support for Habitat’s Homes, Communities, Hope + You campaign!
    • We can build community during this time, even when we are physically distant. A community centered around hope and connection. Join me in rallying around Homes, Communities, Hope + You!
• Donate Now
  • Not on social media, but want to make an impact? You can! Click here to donate and help build homes, communities, and hope.

Spreading the word about the need for decent and affordable housing and what Habitat does to fulfill this need is more than important than ever. We can make a difference together – and it starts with YOU!

What happens when ‘stay at home’ means staying in an unhealthy place?

Home is the place to stay safe from a global pandemic. And for many of us, our home also has suddenly become our school, our barbershop, our restaurant, our office, our movie theater. For many, “stay at home” has meant the inconvenience of a changed routine. But for more than 19 million U.S. families sheltering in place, the substandard, overcrowded, or unaffordable housing situations they live with have only increased their feelings of uncertainty and vulnerability.

All of us at Habitat for Humanity know firsthand that better, affordable living conditions lead to improved health and stronger childhood development. We know that they give families the ability — and financial flexibility — to make forward-looking choices. Proper shelter creates jobs, revitalizes neighborhoods, attracts employers, increases consumer spending and government revenues, and lowers the risk of foreclosure, all while bringing transformative benefits to families and developing resiliency in communities.

We are an organization with Christian roots that operates in more than 70 countries around the world and in every state of the U.S. Our vision has always been the same: a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Here at San Gabriel Valley Habitat, with support like yours, we have partnered with more than 200 families who now have a safe, decent, and affordable place to call “home.”

Before this pandemic, the world was already experiencing a housing crisis. COVID-19 has revealed its extent and added to its urgency. Habitat is needed now more than ever. And — now more than ever — we need you.

‘Home has rarely been more of a life-or-death situation.’

— Leilani Farha, U.N. special rapporteur on the right of adequate housing

The scope and impact of COVID-19 is unprecedented. It has led to a near halt of the U.S. economy, with over 20 million people losing their jobs, and the impact will be felt throughout the economy for months and years to come.

While not immediately obvious to some, the pandemic’s effect on housing will be significant and lasting. Based on history, it’s likely that the negative effects will be disproportionately borne by vulnerable communities and low-income individuals. As the economic shocks from this crisis ripple out, these families will be hit hardest. They always are.

Low-income households are particularly at risk because of their economic instability and their concentration in the service industry and other hourly jobs that have some of the highest risks of COVID-19 disruptions. Given that 100% of our homeowners have low incomes, nearly all are first-time homeowners. We have always worked to provide flexibility to homebuyers to ensure long- term success, but as COVID-19 increases the economic need for these families, it also causes us to lose funds that support our operations, including [home builds, home repairs and Habitat ReStore operations].

Many of the families in our current pipeline represent the front-line workers who are fulfilling essential duties during this crisis. These are the individuals bagging groceries, delivering packages, preparing food, and working in hospitals. The uncertainty that so many of us feel today, these families have felt for a lifetime — if not generations.

The need doesn’t go away just because the economy has stalled. In fact – the need is growing.

• Over 500,000 Americans are homeless.
• Forty percent of renters are considered cost-burdened.
• Nearly 6 million Americans live in substandard housing.
• In an estimated 12 million of these households, at least one contributing member works in an at-risk industry.

We, just like the millions who are under stay-at-home orders, are adjusting to this ever-changing situation. Build sites are suspended, Habitat ReStores are closed, and finances are impacted, but our operations continue. Every day, front-line Habitat for Humanity staff members continue to make affordable homeownership a reality for families. They are working virtually to service mortgages and coach homeowners to ensure that they can stay in their homes. They are pivoting homeowner services, education, and financial planning to virtual environments and making payroll to ensure that when our economy reopens, we are prepared not just to continue building, but also to accelerate to meet the increased need for affordable housing.