Building Futures 2025 Holiday Report

A SEASON OF CARE AND CONNECTION

COMMUNITY IN ACTION

The holidays remind us how powerful community can be. This year, we were deeply moved by the many individuals and groups who stepped forward to support families and individuals served by Building Futures. Through thoughtful gifts and time given, our community helped create moments of comfort, dignity, and joy during a season that can be especially difficult for those facing housing instability.

From toys to jammies, from warm essentials to monetary donations, every act of generosity mattered. Together, these efforts reached hundreds of people and served as a powerful reminder that no one has to face the holidays alone. We hope the stories that follow inspire others to join us in building brighter futures, one caring action at a time. 

This season’s efforts were made possible by an incredible network of community members—businesses, faith partners, service clubs, volunteers, and individual donors—who gave in so many meaningful ways. Whether organizing drives, donating funds or wrapping gifts at our event, each contribution helped turn compassion into action. We are profoundly grateful for this community of champions whose generosity and teamwork made the season brighter for the families we serve.

Thankful for Steadfast Partners in the Community

Amador Valley Quilters

For over 10 years, Amador Valley Quilts has donated lovingly crafted quilts to Building Futures through their Community Quilts Project.

Javier Flores, Realtor, Vetted Real Estate & Kiwanis Club of San Leandro

“As a father to teenagers, I know the importance of a sweats and hoodie fit!” Local realtor Javier Flores purchased 40 sets of sweats and hoodies, specifically for the teenagers that we serve, because cozy comfort is such an important part of the Holidays. Thank you, Javier!

Rigatoni & Strizzi’s Restaurants

For many years, Strizzi’s and Rigatoni Restaurants have been donating a full Christmas Eve meal to Midway Shelter. This delicious tradition has been warming the hearts of our residents year after year and we are eternally grateful to the owner, Ray Bartolomucci, for his unwavering and ongoing support. They always think of us, so think of them when planning your next dinner! Place an order for a meal made with love now, at rigatonis.com.

Ghiradelli Women's Inclusive Network

The members of the Ghirardelli Women’s Inclusive Network are superstars! For our Holiday Drive, they made a call for slipper donations, and their employer matched each donation with its monetary value. So they brought us gifts, a check, and lots of delicious chocolate. They even helped us out by wrapping hundreds of gifts. Thank you for making the Holidays so much sweeter!

Iron Creed Motorcycle Club

Instead of a sleigh, Iron Creed Motorcycle Club based out of Alameda County delivered a huge sack of toys on a shiny hog! Their mission is to create strong brotherhood bonds, while doing impactful work in the community riding around in style!

Masonic Lodge 113, San Leandro

We received an incredible load of donations of brand new clothes and gifts from the Masonic Lodge of San Leandro, whose involvement in the community is unwavering.
”You did such a good job with everyone’s presents! How did you know I loved lavender?”
—shelter resident
“Every item in that bag is something I would have picked out for my daughter, and she is going to love it all.”
—??

Piedmont Police Department

On December 5th, the Piedmont Police Department hosted a special gift drive benefiting Building Futures, calling for enough donations to fill their Community Service Officer's truck bed. The community answered the call, and their generosity made the front page of the Piedmont Times!

S.P.A.R.C. (Single Parent Advocacy and Resource Center)

Gina Salazar founder of S.P.A.R.C. (Single Parent Advocacy and Resource Center), teamed up with the Leadership San Leandro group of the Chamber of Commerce to gather brand new toys and gifts for the women and children we serve.

First United Methodist Church of San Leandro

Our friends at Prologis hosted their annual Giving Tree Holiday Donation, with a special emphasis on teens. The donations were so abundant that multiple trips were required to get them all to our offices! Thank you, Prologis!

City of San Leandro Community Development Department Staff

Our friends at the City of San Leandro Community Development Department held a wonderful gift drive at City Hall.

Julia Morgan School for Girls

Students at JMSFG and their families gathered a huge number of hygiene items and assembed gift bags for our clients.

Sila

Our wonderful friends at Sila Nanotechnologies, Inc. really treated us this year. They donated backpacks filled with hand-selected gifts for each gender and age group, ranging from babies to teenagers. Each bag contained books, toys, and age-specific goodies.
”I love my pink pajama set and I am so happy wearing them.”
—??
“Finally some socks I can fit in!”
—Mom was overjoyed when her son’s men’s socks ended up in her bag my mistake!

Jammie Drive Tradition

This year, the City of Alameda once again brought the community together for its annual Holiday Jammie Drive. Through this beloved tradition, local Alameda families “adopt” a Building Futures family and generously provide cozy pajamas, slippers, and fuzzy socks—spreading warmth and comfort during the holiday season.

In addition, the City hosted a fund-a-need campaign to support newly housed families with essential move-in kits, setting a goal of $10,000 to help families begin their next chapter with dignity and stability.

Now celebrating 13 years of the Holiday Jammie Drive, we extend our heartfelt thanks to the City of Alameda and a special shout-out to Sarah Henry, whose dedication and coordination helped make this year’s drive such a success.

Thanks to the following groups and businesses for helping make the holidays brighter for those we serve!

Alameda Alliance For Health
Alameda City Firefighters Local 689 Toy Program
Alameda Free Library
Alameda Health System
All Good Living Foundation
Amador Valley Quilters
AMP Gives: Move-in Kits Drive
Bay Area Orthopedic Surgery
Berkeley Buddhist Temple
Bloom Together LLC
Cahill
Celeste Perey & Friends
City of Alameda Staff Holiday Drive
City of San Leandro Community Development Department Staff
Community Realty & Investments
First Congregational Church of Alameda
First United Methodist Church (FUMC)
Fisica
Ghiradelli Women’s Inclusive Network
Gracie Jiu Jitsu Alameda
Home Club, Alameda High School
Iron Creed Motorcycle CLub
Iron Souls Motorcycle Club
Island Savoy Market
Jammie Drive Fund-a-Need
Javier Flores, Realtor, Vetted Real Estate, Kiwanis Club of San Leandro
Josh Altieri and friends
Julia Morgan School for Girls
Kaiser Permanente San Leandro ICU/2 West/RRT
Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy, Greater Southern Alameda Area
Kiwanis Club of San Leandro Foundation
Leadership San Leandro 25-26, Chamber of Commerce
Mary Kay, Kelly Clardy
Mary Kay, Marsha Amaral
Masonic Lodge 113, San Leandro
Nat & Kera Binns house party
Optimist Club
Pete Ballew & Friends
Piedmont Police Department
Prologis
Rigatoni
S.P.A.R.C. (Single Parent Advocacy and Resource Center)
Shay Kelley, Alameda Troop 2, Eagle Scout Project
Sila
Silman Industries
Toy Safari, Customers, Staff and Owner
Via Nova Children’s School
Vivian Brewer and Friends
Wealthspire Advisors
Women 4 Humanity
Women’s Joy Group, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, San Lorenzo

Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy, Greater Southern Alameda Area

Our friends at Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy gathered 1,200 pairs of socks—extremely useful and welcomed gifts for families and individuals.

Iron Souls Motorcycle Club

As long-time partners of Building Futures, Iron Souls Motorcycle Club have been donating amazing toys to our Holiday Drive year after year. We are so grateful to them for their contributions and for making our families smile.

Alameda Health System

Nothing says comfort and joy like a warm pair of fuzzy socks, so it was a delight to receive a huge load of whimsical holiday socks from our friends at Alameda Health System.

Mary Kay Consultant Kelly Clardy

For nearly 10 years, Mary Kay Consultant Kelly Clardy has mounted an annual campaign to create gift bags of Mary Kay products for the women we serve! This year, 50 ladies were thrilled to receive this very generous gift of beauty.

SilMan Industries

We were fortunate to not only receive many gift donations from SilMan Industries, but also their time, as they volunteered to wrap the hundreds and hundreds of gifts that were distributed to the families we serve. Would your business like to volunteer to wrap gifts next Holiday season? Let's talk!

Community Realty & Investments

For the sixth year in a row, our friends at Community Realty and Investments have collected gifts from their staff, family and business partners at their December Holiday Party for the children we serve. Their generous contributions have lit up the season for our young ones every time. Thank you!

Kaiser Permanente San Leandro ICU/2 West/RRT

Our neighbors at Kaiser San Leandro's ICU pool together resources every year to donate to a worthy cause. Building Futures is thrilled to have been selected this year. Thank you!

Kiwanis Club of San Leandro Foundation

Every year, the Kiwanis Club of San Leandro hosts an “Undies the Tree” gift drive, collecting underwear and socks for Building Futures. These thoughtful gifts are always gratefully received, year after year.

Gracie Jiu Jitsu Alameda

This is community! The folks at Gracie Jiu Jitsu in Alameda placed a donation bin in their school, and it quickly overflowed wit donations, the way our hearts now overflow with gratitude.

Home Club, Alameda High School

Emma Esposito is the Co-President of the Home Club at Alameda High School and is passionate about being of service to our unhoused community members. Through the club, she organized a gift drive and gathered items to create move-in kits for our recently-housed families to enjoy the holidays in their new homes. Thank you to these bright young leaders for such commitment and generosity!

Celeste Perey & Friends

Newly retired, Celeste wanted to give back as a San Leandro neighbor. Celeste knew of us through her job at the HomeStretch program. In late summer she began volunteering as a monthly Dinner Donor at our San Leandro shelter, lovingly cooking meals for 25 women and children on her designated day.. Over the holidays, she continued her annual tradition of creating “blessing bags” for Building Futures with family members, and filled them with essentials like men’s socks, lip balm, lotion, and other thoughtful comforts. Even during a challenging time, when her husband underwent an unexpected surgery, Celeste persevered. With her husband cheering her on, she kept cooking, kept giving, and kept showing up for our community.

Cahill

The good folks at Cahill—led by the Women+ Group—provided a wide range of gifts for 25 children, with a specific focus on teens. Their core values of collaboration and commitment is what drives these initiatives, and we were thrilled to receive items such as electronics, sweats and hoodies, fidget toys, smartphone accessories, skincare products, and more.

Peer-to-Peer Campaigns

Vivian Brewer and Friends

In honor of her late mother, Audrey, Vivian opened her home in Castro Valley for a Giving Party she lovingly called Audrey’s Closet. Guests were invited to celebrate while giving back, each bringing an item from Building Futures’ Wishlist, and the result was both joyful and deeply impactful. With plenty of food, drink, and even a taco bar, the gathering blended festivity with generosity. By the end of the evening, Vivian and her daughter, LaShae, were moved to tears as they collected more than 10 boxes of donated items and rallied their community to contribute $1,700 in monetary gifts.

Audrey passed away in August 2020 after a three-year battle with breast cancer. She was a generous woman who always gave to others, a value she proudly passed on to her daughter. Through Audrey’s Closet, Vivian ensured her mother’s legacy of kindness continues to live on.

Alameda Alliance for Health

Thanks to the incredible generosity of 29 Alameda Alliance for Health staff members of Team Alliance, over $3,000 was raised through individual donations. With a dollar-for-dollar match from CEO Matthew Woodruff, those gifts were doubled—bringing the total to more than $6,000! A huge thank-you to our Team Alliance and the senior leadership team for making this impact possible, making the holidays bright for the families we serve!

AMP Gives: Move-in Kits Drive

Every October, Alameda Municipal Power, the City of Alameda’s community-owned electric utility, celebrates Public Power Week by highlighting clean, reliable energy—and giving back to the community. This year, AMP staff raised over $1,250 to provide move-in kits! These kits provide 15 essential home items to women and children as they move into their first home, after staying at the Midway Shelter and as they rebuild after homelessness and domestic violence. Check out AMP's line crew in the image above!

Nat & Kera Binns House Party

Long-time friends and supporters of Building Futures, Kera and Nat Binns hosted a fundraising party in their Berkeley home, asking each guest to contribute to our campaign through in-kind donations, and matching every monetary donation. With 15 of their friends, they were able to raise close to $3,000! We are extremely grateful to the Binns family, as well as Via Nova preschool, who contributed a trunk-full of brand new toys.

Berkeley Buddhist Temple

Teens lead the way! The Berkeley Buddhist Temple’s Share the Spirit Campaign raised more than $3,000 for our holiday drive—powered by the incredible leadership of the Temple’s High School Dharma School Class! The Temple's long-time support continues to ripple outward, uplifting the teens we serve and touching the families and individuals who make up the Building Futures community. A huge thank-you for sharing your spirit and generosity!

Shay Kelley, Alameda Troop 2, Eagle Scout Project

For his Eagle Scout Project, Alameda-based teen Shay Kelley has mobilized his community to raise money to donate move-in kits for recently-housed Building Futures families, providing the top 12 items you will need when you move into your first home after being homeless. Fundraising ends in February and they have already surpassed their goal! That is what we call community in action! Learn more: bfwc.org/moveinkits

Women 4 Humanity

Community power in action! Three groups of dedicated professionals—Women 4 Humanity Now Bay Area; Eritrean & Ethiopian Medical Professionals of Alameda Health System; One Love Center for Health; and friends—mobilized their networks of friends, family, & colleagues to support Building Futures’ programs and Holiday Gift Drive. Through their collective generosity, they raised $1,400 and gathered much-needed new items. These funds and donations are helping provide holiday gifts, hygiene kits, and move-in kits, with each effort supporting 25–30 women and children served by Building Futures. It’s a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we come together around a shared cause—thank you for turning compassion into action!

Drop Box Sites

A special thank you to the businesses who hosted a collection bin where community members could drop off gifts and toys for our clients! We are deeply grateful to: City of Alameda, The Alameda Free Library, Toy Safari, and Island Savoy Market. Your support means the world to us!

Alameda Free Library

Island Savoy Market

Toy Safari

Alameda City Hall

It Takes a Village…

Every year energetic volunteers come to sort and wrap gifts and lend warmth to the proceedings. We are grateful to individual volunteers from the community and those representing from AAA-MWG, Ghirardelli Chocolate Co., Piedmont Police Department, and SilMan Industries who signed up to donate their time and talent to help brighten the season for children, teens, and adults served in every one of Building Futures’ programs.
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