Thank You Good Sam for Helping CCSA Help Others

by Carole Denton, Director, CCSA (Community Christian Service Agency)

Helping people is something that CCSA has been doing for almost 40 years. The very core of our mission is to reach out and help those who are challenged to help themselves. 

At CCSA’s Joyce Snyder Center in Pacific Beach, as many as 650 individuals (a few homeless families with children too) are helped each month.  They receive emergency food, clothing, hygiene, health education, as well as advocacy and referral to other sources of help. Beyond providing for their immediate need for food and clothing, our hope is that our clients will learn simple measures to maintain the healthiest life possible whether they remain on the streets for the remainder of their life or not. 

Health promotion is so vital among the homeless population here in San Diego. And anyone can tell you that the two most basic ways to ward off illness are good nutrition and proper hygiene. Well, consider the homeless life—moving from place to place and living amongst life’s harshest elements. So, CCSA tries to pack and distribute a healthy portable lunch for its clients as well as keep adequate supplies of hygiene items and clean clothing for our clients since they have limited access to facilities to get cleaned up on a regular basis. 

That’s where CCSA’s ‘Annual Sock Drive for the Homeless” comes into play! Clean socks are a very simple promotion of health to a homeless person. When you think about it-- the homeless walk around on their feet just like we drive around in our cars with four tires.  Their feet get lots of wear and get worn out just like our car tires. We all know what happens when we get a flat tire—we’re stuck. It’s the same for the homeless; broken down feet are an entry way for infection and disease to creep in. It is estimated that more than 50% of homeless people suffer from one or more chronic untreated health problems. Illness of any kind is exacerbated by living on the streets and in shelters so risk of additional infection is one of their biggest enemies.   

Socks bought with funds raised by Good Sammers

CCSA would like to thank the congregation of Good Samaritan for their generous giving to the ‘open plate’ offering on Father’s Day in support of The Joyce Snyder Center and Its ‘Annual Sock & Underwear Drive for the Homeless’. We truly appreciate your generosity and compassion for our neighbors in need!