THRIVE Peninsula

06/14/2026

📚 We Need Children’s Books! 💛

We don’t often ask for book donations, but right now, we need them! Our shelves are running thin, and these books help spark learning, imagination, and summer reading fun for local kids. ☀️ Most of our books are brand new, and come from REACH Reading Enriches All Children, but used books play a critical role in supplementing our supply and adding a diversity of options.

We’re looking for:
📖 Children’s books in good condition (no writing or ripped pages)
📖 Books ideally purchased within the last 5 years
📖 Board books, picture books, early readers, and youth chapter books

At this time, we are not seeking adult book donations.

All books will be shared through The Free Bookstore at THRIVE, perfect for helping children build their own libraries this summer. 💙

📍 Drop off during operating hours:
Mon, Wed, Thurs 10–7 | Tues 10–5 | Fri 10–3 | Sat 9–12

Thank you for helping put books into kids’ hands! 📚✨

06/13/2026

It's no secret that California has historically struggled with homelessness. This recent article in TIME shares how the state is steadily improving this crisis. What's one of their best strategies? Offer rent assistance.

“The idea is that you subsidize the rent for a short period of time, and keep them housed, which is infinitely less expensive than them falling into homelessness,” John Maceri, CEO of The People Concern.

“You could probably spend about a third to keep somebody housed as opposed to what you would spend if they became unhoused and then they had to be rehoused,” Maceri explained. “If they have complex medical problems, the cost can go up substantially.”

THRIVE's financial assistance program aims to prevent evictions and stop homelessness from occurring in the first place. Your support helps us keep Peninsula people healthy and housed, having a dramatic impact on people's lives.

New federal data suggest California’s approach to tackle its persistent homelessness crisis may finally be showing signs of progress.

06/12/2026

📊 Did you know? 50% of the individuals served through The Market this year have been children under the age of 18.

As summer begins, the need often grows as children are home from school and families face the challenge of providing additional meals each day. At the same time, summer is typically when food donations slow down, creating an even greater need for community support.

Your donations, volunteer hours, and advocacy help ensure local children and families have access to nutritious food all year long. ❤️

06/10/2026

Starting in June, THRIVE is staying open late to serve more families with groceries. In fact, every Tuesday, The Market be open late, until 7pm, all summer long. This is possible thanks to the incredible outpouring of generosity we saw on Give Local 757 and thanks to the amazing donations we are receiving from so many people who drop off items each week. This continued support allows us to push harder to serve the community.

Late hours are perfect for working families, whose 9 to 5 isn't enough to cover all the bills. Increasingly, these households need our support too. Right now, things are especially tough. Food insecurity is rising, so this is our way to do more.

This is just the beginning. As support grows for THRIVE, we will grow. We will do more to expand our reach and serve more people. This year, we’ve already added 5 hours of permanently expanded open hours to our schedule. What more can we do?

With your support behind us, there is no limit. Please continue to support our work, and we will continue to step out in faith to do bold things, knowing that you stand with us. Thanks for striving with us, our community needs us right now. We can do this together.

Updated Hours:
Monday: 10am-7pm
Tuesday: 10am-7pm (June, July, and August)
Wednesday: 10am-5pm
Thursday: 10am-7pm
Friday: 10am-3pm
Saturday 9am-12pm

Expanded hours don't just serve more families—they also make it easier for supporters to keep The Market stocked and thriving.

06/09/2026

A solo retiree who works part time at a military chapel, Kathy found herself in a financial struggle after the fully-paid-for car she had driven for 15 years became inoperable. “This was a huge struggle, “Kathy says. “The car completely died and I had to find another vehicle, which I really did not want to do, yet, since I was working, I needed transportation.”

Kathy had been able to take care of her bills but the car purchase put a strain on her already tight budget. Soon Kathy fell behind on her rent. That is when she reached out to THRIVE for assistance and financial coaching. THRIVE helped Kathy take care of her back rent, and financial coaching assisted her in methods to remain constant in meeting her financial obligations as well as putting more money into saving for any emergencies.

“I learned a lot,” Kathy says. Kathy is happy to know that she will soon be moving into a full-time position that will help her financially. She also knows that shopping one week per month at the THRIVE Market will ease the burden of grocery costs. Kathy calls THRIVE’s help an “Alleluia moment” and says, “Blessings to you and those who are a part of this organization. God Bless you all!”

06/05/2026

📊 Fact Friday:
Did you know that nearly 300 volunteers serve with THRIVE each week?

What's even more incredible is that most of our volunteers give just two hours of their time each week! Those hours add up to a tremendous impact.

Here's how our volunteers support the mission:
🛒 56% serve in the Market
🚚 11% serve as drivers
🙋 9% welcome clients and guests at the front desk
💵 7% serve as Financial Coaches
🔧 9% provide specialized support through facilities, IT, bookstore, cooking demonstrations, and other skilled volunteer roles
🌱 5% help in our raised bed or pollinator Gardens
🤝 3% connect families to additional community resources as a Resource Concierge

Every stocked shelf, every client served, every garden harvest, and every encouraging conversation is made possible because people in our community choose to give their time.

Thank you to each and every volunteer who shows up week after week to help our neighbors thrive. 💚

06/04/2026

📬 Like the content you see here?

Stay connected with THRIVE by signing up for our monthly newsletter! Each issue includes mission updates, volunteer opportunities, client success stories, upcoming events, pantry needs, and ways you can make an impact in our community.

👉 Check out our latest newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/thrivepeninsula/april2026

👉 Enjoy what you see? Click “Subscribe” in the top left corner to join our mailing list and get future updates delivered straight to your inbox!

⏰ Our next newsletter will be going out soon, so subscribe today to make sure you don't miss it!

06/03/2026

Check out our most needed items for June!
https://www.thrivepeninsula.org/food

🕒 Drop-Off Hours:
Monday: 10:00 AM – 6:30 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 6:30 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 6:30 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Can't make it in person to donate? Shop our Amazon Wish List: https://a.co/hRKRNle

Every donation, big or small, helps us provide for those who need it most. Thank you for your support! 💚

06/02/2026

BIG NEWS! 📰

Starting today, THRIVE is staying open late to serve more families with groceries. In fact, every Tuesday, The Market be open late, until 7pm, all summer long ☀️. Thanks to our new friends at Pursue Church International - every Tuesday night in June is covered with volunteers.

This is possible thanks to the incredible outpouring of generosity we saw on Give Local 757 and thanks to the amazing donations we are receiving from so many people who drop off items each week. This continued support allows us to push harder to serve the community.

Late hours are perfect for working families, whose 9 to 5 isn't enough to cover all the bills. Increasingly, these households need our support too.

Right now, things are especially tough. Food insecurity is rising, so this is our way to do more.

This is just the beginning. As support grows for THRIVE, we will grow. We will do more to expand our reach and serve more people. This year, we’ve already added 5 hours of permanently expanded open hours to our schedule. What more can we do?

With your support behind us, there is no limit.

Please continue to support our work, and we will continue to step out in faith to do bold things, knowing that you stand with us.

Thanks for striving with us, our community needs us right now. We can do this together.