Our mission at Tracy Interfaith is to provide food and clothing to homeless and low-income families and individuals in Tracy. We only serve people who live in Tracy, and we verify their address every time they receive services. We also verify income levels, and serve people who meet government-based low-income standards according to household size. For example, a family of four can make up to $60,000 a year and still qualify for services. We also ask for identification for every member for the household so we can provide age-appropriate services for all clients.
The main service we provide is a box of food for our clients. For those who are housed, we provide a box of food every two weeks with enough groceries for 5 days. For those who are experiencing homelessness, we provide a box of food once a week with enough groceries for 3 days. A typical box includes milk, eggs, meat, cheese, bread, cereal, rice, beans, fruit, vegetables, snacks and desserts. We give larger families more food, and we give our homeless clients food that doesn’t require cooking or refrigeration.
We also run a free clothing store where (in non-pandemic times) our clients can shop. In addition, they can get household items like sheets, towels, blankets, kitchen utensils, books and toys. We provide blankets, tents, hand-warmers, beanies, and gloves for our homeless clients, and hygiene items such as soap, shampoo, razors, deodorant, laundry soap and dish soap for everyone. We also provide diapers for children under the age of 3.
Another service we provide is emergency rent and utility payments for families who are at risk for eviction or utility shut-off. This is done on a case-by-case basis and generally does not cover the entire bill but will keep our clients in their homes and with utilities running.
Last but not least, we provide backpacks for children at the beginning of every school year, we give each family groceries to make a Thanksgiving and a Christmas dinner, and we provide Christmas gifts for children under 18.
So there you have it! Come by anytime and check out all the things we are up to here at Tracy Interfaith!