20-1023_CREER COMUNIDAD Y FAMILIA_Grant AgreementGRANT AGREEMENT
BETWEEN THE CITY OF SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO AND
CREER COMUNIDAD Y FAMILIA
This Grant Agreement ("Agreement') is entered into this day of
OA bZf ("Effective Date"), by and between the City of San Juan Capistrano,
a California municipal corporation and General law City ("City"), and CREER
COMUNIDAD Y FAMILIA, located at P.O. BOX 1347, San Juan Capistrano CA, 92675
("Grantee"). City and Grantee are at times individually referred to as "Party" and
collectively as "Parties" herein.
RECITALS
A. The San Juan Capistrano CARES Nonprofit Food Distribution Grant Program
('Program") will provide one-time funding to nonprofit organizations located within
the city to assist them in the distribution of food to members of the San Juan
Capistrano community due to the impacts of the COVID-19 public health
emergency.
B. Grantee acknowledges it has reviewed the San Juan Capistrano CARES Nonprofit
Food Distribution Grant Program Guidelines ("Guidelines"), attached hereto as
Exhibit A and incorporated herein by reference.
C. Grantee requested a grant from the City for the San Juan Capistrano CARES
Nonprofit Food Distribution Grant Program by submitting a Grant Application
("Grant Application").
D. As a condition to accept grant funds from the Program, Grantee agrees to abide
by all terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, the Parties agree as follows:
1. GRANT
1.1. City awards to Grantee Grant Funds in the amount of $15,000 as requested
by Grantee in the Grant Application attached hereto as Exhibit B and incorporated
herein by reference, or such other amount as authorized by the City Council.
1.2. Grant Funds shall be disbursed by City to Grantee in accordance with San
Juan Capistrano CARES Nonprofit Food Distribution Program Guidelines.
2. TERM
The term of this Agreement shall commence on the Effective Date and shall
continue in full force and effect until December 30, 2020, unless terminated earlier as
provided herein.
CREER COMUNIDAD Y FAMILIA Page 1
3. RESTRICTIONS ON USE OF FUNDS
3.1. The Grant Funds are subject to the following expenditure conditions
("Approved Uses"):
3.1.1. Grant Funds will be used only for costs of the Grantee's food distribution
program that were incurred between March 1, 2020 and December 30, 2020
(hereinafter °Eligible Expenses");
3.1.2. The Grant Funds shall not be used for any activity that would violate City,
state or federal statutory or decisional law such as regulations affecting non-
profit or tax-exempt organizations exempt from taxation pursuant to Section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; and
3.2. Grantee further warrants to City that the Grant Funds will be spent solely for
the Approved Uses. Grant Funds not used for Approved Uses shall be returned
to City, as provided in Section 5 below.
3.3. In the event that the Grantee's records in support of this program are subjected
to audit and the audit determines that any uses of Grant funds are found to be
inadequately supported or expended for ineligible or unallowable purposes, the
Grantee shall with its own funds reimburse the City for any payments required to
be made by the City as the result of such inadequately supported or ineligible
costs.
3.4. Grantee and City expressly agree that any Grant Funds that are not used for
Eligible Expenses by December 30, 2020, shall be returned to City by the Grantee
no later than January 7, 2021. To the extent possible, Grantee will inform the City
in advance of December 30, 2020 if it appears likely that the funds provided will
not be expended for Eligible Expenses by December 30, 2020 so that the unspent
portion can be put to work in the San Juan Capistrano community by funding the
City's other CARES -funded programs.
3.5. Upon 72 hours' notice, Grantee will allow the City to inspect Grantee's
business records to verify that Grant Funds are being used in accordance with the
Program requirements.
3.6. By signing this agreement, the grantee certifies that all funds received this
agreement will be expended in accordance with the requirements of the CARES
Act and the San Juan Capistrano CARES Nonprofit Food Distribution Program
and that the information provided in the Grantee's application for this Program is
true and complete.
4. REPORTING AND ACCOUNTING REQUIREMENTS
4.1. At all times during the term of this Agreement, Grantee shall maintain true,
proper, and complete books, records, and accounts (collectively, "Books and
Records") in which shall be entered fully and accurately all transactions taken with
CREER COMUNIDAD Y FAMILIA Page 2
respect to the expenditure of the Grant Funds. Grantee shall make available to
City such Books and Records within ten (10) calendar days of the City's request.
4.2. Upon request Grantee will be responsible for providing documentation,
including receipts, to the City that accounts for how the entirety of the Grant Funds
received were used to fund Eligible Expenses according to the timelines specified
in the Guidelines. Grantee shall provide any additional information or
documentation related to these expenditures requested by the City within ten (10)
calendar days.
4.3. City reserves the right to designate its own employee representative(s) or its
contracted representative(s) with a Certified Public Accounting firm who shall
have the right to audit Grantee's accounting procedures and internal controls of
Grantee's financial systems as they relate to the Grant Application and to examine
any cost, revenue, payment, claim, other records or supporting documentation
resulting from any items set forth in this Agreement. Any such audit(s) shall be
undertaken by City or its representative(s) at mutually agreed upon reasonable
times and in conformance with generally accepted auditing standards. Grantee
agrees to fully cooperate with any such audit(s).
4.4. Grantee agrees to exercise prudent financial management processes including
proper oversight of all assets, budget preparation, and timely reporting including
budget -to -actual -comparisons.
4.5. All Approved Uses shall be performed by Grantee or under Grantee's
supervision. Grantee represents that it possesses the professional and technical
skills required to perform the services required by this Agreement, and that it will
perform all services with a standard of care and in a manner commensurate with
the community professional standards and with the ordinary degree of skill and
care that would be used by other reasonably competent practitioners of the same
discipline under similar circumstances.
4.6. In accordance with state requirements, Grantee agrees to retain for a period
of five years all records, receipts, invoices, and other documentation pertaining to
the expenditure of funds provided under this agreement in the event such records
and documents are requested to be examined for audit by local, state, or federal
authorities.
5. USE OF GRANT FUNDS
5.1. The Grant Funds shall be used solely by Grantee for the Approved Uses and
for no other use. In the event that the Grant Funds are not used for the Approved
Uses or are not expended between March 1, 2020 and December 30, 2020,
Grantee shall notify the City in writing, and shall be obligated to return the Grant
Funds to City within ten (10) days.
M. IZI117:414h111;1[of AI[a]111
6.1. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Grantee shall indemnify, defend and hold
harmless City, its City Council, boards and commissions, officers, agents,
CREEK COMUNIDAD Y FAMILIA Page 3
volunteers, and employees (collectively, the "Indemnified Parties") from and
against any and all claims (including, without limitation, claims for bodily injury,
death or damage to property), demands, obligations, damages, actions, causes
of action, suits, losses, judgments, fines, penalties, liabilities, costs and expenses
(including, without limitation, attorney's fees, disbursements and court costs) of
every kind and nature whatsoever (individually, a Claim; collectively, "Claims"),
which may arise from or in any manner relate (directly or indirectly) to
misrepresentations by Grantee, the expenditure of Grant Funds, the Application,
or the Agreement (including the negligent and/or willful acts, errors and/or
omissions of the Grantee, its principals, officers, agents, employees, vendors,
suppliers, consultants, subcontractors, anyone employed directly or indirectly by
any of them or for whose acts they may be liable or any or all of them).
6.2. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein shall be construed to require
Grantee to indemnify the Indemnified Parties from any Claim arising from the sole
negligence or willful misconduct of the Indemnified Parties. Nothing in this
indemnity shall be construed as authorizing any award of attorney's fees in any
action on or to enforce the terms set forth in the Agreement. This indemnity shall
apply to all claims and liability regardless of whether any insurance policies are
applicable. The policy limits do not act as a limitation upon the amount of
indemnification to be provided by Grantee. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing
herein shall be construed to require Grantee to indemnify the Indemnified Parties
from any Claim arising from the sole negligence or willful misconduct of the
Indemnified Parties. Nothing in this indemnity shall be construed as authorizing
any award of attorney's fees in any action on or to enforce the terms of this
Agreement. This indemnity shall apply to all claims and liability regardless of
whether any insurance policies are applicable. The policy limits do not act as a
limitation upon the amount of indemnification to be provided by Grantee.
7. GRANTEE INDEPENDENCE
In the performance of this Agreement, the Grantee, and the agents and employees of
Grantee, shall act in an independent capacity and are not officers, employees or agents
of the City. The manner and means of performing the Approved Uses are under the
control of Grantee, except to the extent they are limited by statute, rule or regulation and
the expressed terms of this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to
constitute approval for Grantee or any of Grantee's employees or agents, to be the agents
or employees of City. Grantee shall have the responsibility for and control over the means
of performing the Approved Uses, provided that Grantee is in compliance with the terms
of this Agreement. Anything in this Agreement that may appear to give City the right to
direct Grantee as to the details of the performance or to exercise a measure of control
over Grantee shall mean only that Grantee shall follow the desires of City with respect to
the results of the Approved Uses.
8. PROHIBITION AGAINST TRANSFERS
Grantee shall not assign, sublease, hypothecate or transfer this Agreement or any of the
services to be performed under this Agreement, directly or indirectly, by operation of law
CREER COMUNIDAD Y FAMILIA Page 4
or otherwise without prior written consent of City. Any attempt to do so without written
consent of City shall be null and void.
9. NOTICES
9.1. All notices, demands, requests or approvals to be given under this Agreement
shall be given in writing and conclusively shall be deemed served when delivered
personally or on the third business day after the deposit thereof in the United
States mail, postage prepaid, first class mail, addressed as hereinafter provided.
9.2. All notices, demands, requests or approvals from Grantee to City shall be
addressed to the City at:
Attn: City Manager
City of San Juan Capistrano
32400 Paseo Adelanto
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
9.3. All notices, demands, requests or approvals from City to Grantee shall be
addressed to Grantee at:
Attn: Angeles Ceballos, Executive Director
CREER COMUNIDAD Y FAMILIA
P.O. Box 1347
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
10.TERMINATION
10.1. The City may terminate this Agreement if it determines that the Grantee has
made any misrepresentations that relate in any way to the Application or
expenditure of Grant Funds by providing Grantee with three (3) calendar days'
notice of termination, in writing.
10.2. Specific Performance. Grantee agrees that the City has the legal right, and all
necessary conditions have been satisfied, to specifically enforce Grantee's
obligations pursuant to this Agreement.
11. STANDARD PROVISIONS
11.1. Recitals. City and Grantee acknowledge that the above Recitals are true and
correct and are hereby incorporated by reference into this Agreement.
11.2. Compliance With all.Laws. Grantee shall at its own cost and expense comply
with all statutes, ordinances, regulations and requirements of all governmental
entities, including federal, state, county or municipal, whether now in force or
hereinafter enacted and comply with all state and county guidance for re -opening.
Any dispute regarding this contractual agreement shall have a venue of Orange
County.
CREER COMUNIDAD Y FAMILIA Page 5
11.3. Waiver. A waiver by either Party of any breach, of any term, covenant or
condition contained herein shall not be deemed to be a waiver of any subsequent
breach of the same or any other term, covenant or condition contained herein,
whether of the same or a different character.
11.4. Integrated Contract. This Agreement represents the full and complete
understanding of every kind or nature whatsoever between the parties hereto, and
all preliminary negotiations and agreements of whatsoever kind or nature are
merged herein. No verbal agreement or implied covenant shall be held to vary
the provisions herein.
11.5. Conflicts or Inconsistencies. In the event there are any conflicts or
inconsistencies between this Agreement and the Grant Application, or any other
attachments attached hereto, the terms of this Agreement shall govern.
11.6. Interpretation. The terms of this Agreement shall be construed in accordance
with the meaning of the language used and shall not be construed for or against
either party by reason of the authorship of the Agreement or any other rule of
construction which might otherwise apply.
11.7. Amendments. This Agreement may be modified or amended only by a written
document executed by both Grantee and City and approved as to form by the City
Attorney.
11.8. Severability. If any term or portion of this Agreement is held to be invalid, illegal,
or otherwise unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining
provisions of this Agreement shall continue in full force and effect.
11.9. Controlling Law and Venue. The laws of the State of California shall govern
this Agreement and all matters relating to it and any action brought relating to this
Agreement shall be adjudicated in a court of competent jurisdiction in the County
of Orange, State of California.
11.10. Equal Opportunity Employment. Grantee represents that it is an equal
opportunity employer and it shall not discriminate against any contractor,
employee or applicant for employment because of race, religion, color, national
origin, handicap, ancestry, sex or age or any other impermissible basis under law.
11.11. Attorney's Fees. In the event of any dispute or legal action arising,under this
Agreement, the prevailing party shall be entitled to attorney's fees.
11.12. Taxes. The City and Grantee expressly agree that the Grantee shall be
responsible for all taxes that are associated in any way to the Application of the
Grant Funds.
11.13. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two (2) or more
counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and all of which together
shall constitute one and the same instrument.
[SIGNATURES ON NEXT PAGE]
CREER COMUNIDAD Y FAMILIA Page 6
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused this Agreement to be executed
on the dates written below.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Date: October 19, 2020
By:
Jeffrey Ballinger
City Attorney
ATTEST:
Date: kybl-�,o
By: u
u?�w Vbr
Ma orris
City Clerk
CITY OF SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO,
A California municipal corporation
Date: /0-2/-20
By:
Jami ieg I
City Manager
GRANTEE: CREER COMUNIDAD Y
FAMILIA, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit
organization
By:
Angel s C altos
Executive Director
Exhibit A: San Juan Capistrano CARES Nonprofit Food Distribution Program Guidelines
Exhibit B: Grantee's Application
[END OF SIGNATURES]
CREER COMUNIDAD Y FAMILIA Page 7
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO CARES
NONPROFIT FOOD DISTRIBUTION GRANT PROGRAM
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In order to support nonprofit organizations that provide essential food distribution services to the San Juan
Capistrano community, grants up to $25,000 are available to nonprofit organizations that are:
1. Headquartered in San Juan Capistrano
2. Operating an established, well-functioning food distribution program that regularly feeds in excess of 200
San Juan Capistrano families per week.
3. Able to demonstrate adverse impacts from COVID-19
a. Reduction in revenue and/or contributions to the organization; and/or
b. Increase in cost associated with operating under COVID-19 conditions
Nonprofits applying for funding must meet the eligibility criteria listed above. Please note that due to limited
funds, not all applications submitted may receive funding. A complete application does not guarantee funding.
Application Process:
• Please complete and return the attached application by Monday, September 14 at 5:00 p.m.
o Mail to: City Hall 32400 Paseo Adelanto, San Juan Capistrano CA 92675
Attention: Matisse Reischl, Senior Management Analyst, or via e-mail to
mreischl@sanjuancapistrano.org.
• Applications must be complete to be considered for funding.
• Organizations will be notified on Friday, September 18 of grant award status.
• For questions, please contact Matisse Reischl, Senior Management Analyst at (949) 443-6315
or mreischl@sanjuancapistrano.org.
EXHIBIT A
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SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO CARES NONPROFIT FOOD
DISTRIBUTION GRANT APPLICATION
APPLICATION CRITERIA QUESTIONNAIRE _
'ONPROFIT NAME: CREEK Comunidady Familia
.PPLICANT CONTACT: Angeles-Ceballos- : / Exeoutive Director
iONPROFIT PHONE #: (714).788-8339 „ ,
1ONPROFIT ADDRESS: 31322 Camino Capistrano; San Juan'Capisttano, CA_ 92575
)ISTRIBUTION LOCATION: 31322 Cainitio'Capistrano,`San Juan Capistcano,,' CA'.92575_-
# OF RESIDENTS SERVED: 750 Families per, Week
(WEEKLY)
in addition to the eligibility criteria above, please attach a cover letter outlining the following:
as Description of your organization's established food distribution program currently
operating in San Juan Capistrano.
Description of how your organization has been impacted financially by COVID-19.
%ND
Please attach copies of your organization's primary operating bank account for April, May,
and June 2019 and April, May, and June 2020.
APPLICANT CERTIFICATION
1, Angeles Ceballos (.Applicant Name), certify that the information
provided in thisquestionnaire is accurate, will provide additional supporting
documentation ifrequested, and commit to using all funds received for costs of food
distributionby December 31 1 1 C C
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COMUNIDAD Y FAMILIA
August 28th, 2020,
P.O. Box 1347 • San Juan Capistrano, CA 92693 • www.creeroc.org
Ms. Matisse Reischl,
Senior Management Analyst
City of San Juan Capistrano
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32400 Paseo Adelanto, '
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San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
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Reference: CREER Communidad y Familia, San Juan Capistrano CARE
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Non -Profit Food Distribution Grant Application
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Dear Ms. Reischl,
CREER FmMS
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Good morning! I hope this note finds you and your family
Tom"
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doing well! On behalf of the CREER Board of Directors, our staff, but
more importantly our children and their families, we would like to thank
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you for the opportunity to submit the San Juan Capistrano CARE Non-
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Profit Food Distribution Grant Application for CREER Communidad y
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Familia. The COVID-19 Pandemic has affected us all in an
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unprecedented and terrible way and I am afraid that the consequences
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of this crisis are yet to be determined.
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Early Days ofC'OVID-19 Crisis.
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ADt7SORY BOARD.
CREER, as a small San Juan Capistrano non-profit organization has been
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financially affected in a very severe way. We have been forced to place
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all our vital educational programs on hold and without programs,
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we cannot pursue grants and monetary donations. We,at CREER
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believe that education is the key that will open the door to a better
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future for our children and their families. In the same token, our
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children's educational advancement gives CREER the means to find the
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monetary resources to accomplish these goals. However, CREER
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is more than just the Homework Club, Afterschool, and Summer
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Programs. We are also a vital source of information, advocacy,
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mentoring, and resource's channeling to the CREER families.
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It is very important to note that in the first weeks of the crisis, we were
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very shaken and disoriented, trying to grasp the magnitude of this crisis.
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During this time, we regrouped and set up a Facebook
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page www.facebook.com/creerocwhich we dedicated to
informing CREER's families all we could about the COVID-
19 Crisis. In the early weeks of the Stay -at -Home order, we spent our
day texting, e -mailing, and posting information about the crisis in both
English and Spanish.
P.O. Box 1347 • San Juan Capistrano, CA 92693 • www.creeroc.org
It was during these early weeks that we received constant pleas for help
about food pantries; especially after the Mission Basilica, FAM, and
Saddleback Church Food Pantries closed their doors due to the
pandemic. We were able to send our families to a couple of food
pantries out of San Juan Capistrano such as Laguna Beach Food Pantry
and St Kilian's Church Food Pantry in Mission Viejo. However, these
options were not viable for most of our families due to a lack of
transportation. We also received several calls from distressed parents
about help to pay bills. We directed them to the available resources
such as 211 and FAM, but soon these resources were overwhelmed and
unable to meet the demand of families in distress. As of today, they are
still unable to meet the demand.
CREER/OCC Food Recovery Kitchen Pantry:
We at CREER are very resilient and it was easy for us to make the
decision to transition to food distribution. We decided to open the
CREER Food Pantry and to establish the CREER Emergency Fund to help
our families with their most pressing needs. We just needed to figure
out how to do it. We spent 3 weeks looking for partners and donors to
help with food and monetary donations. Finally, Mrs. Olivia Casarrublas-
Quin and Mrs. Aida Gurrola directed us to Ms. Alexandra Yates from DCC
Food Recovery Kitchen and this partnership allowed us to open
the CREER/OCC Food Recovery Kitchen Pantry on April 21st, 2020.
Every Tuesday, during the last 20 weeks (5 months) CREER/OCC Food
Recovery Kitchen Pantry has distributed more than 410 Pallets of goods,
approximately 28,678 Boxes/Bags of food, 7 1/2 pallets of Diapers, and
more than $22,000.00 in emergency funds to the most vulnerable and
affected by the COVID-19 crisis in the San Juan Capistrano and adjacent
communities. We continue to struggle to meet our monetary goals,
especially funding for the Diaper Program and the CREEK Emergency
Fund. Nevertheless, we continue to help CREER families with their
number one concern, which is food insecurity, and in any other way that
we can, including rent and utilities.
CREER has become a vital source of food to more than 750 of the most
vulnerable families in San Juan Capistrano and adjacent communities
every week. At the same time, we continue to be a very important
source of information for everyone who asks for help in our
community. We have been channeling resources and educational
programs, connecting our families to Khan Academy for those with
computer access, and assisting our parents with distance learning by
phone and texting.
P.O. Box 1347 • San Juan Capistrano, CA 92693 - www.creeroc.org
We continue to connect our families to the EDISON and SDG&E CARE
Programs, Medical Base Line Program, Energy Conservation, and Fire
Prevention Programs as well as additional Pantries that are now
operating such as Mission Basilica Pantry, Saddleback Church Pantry,
FAM Services, FOCUS Food Distribution at St. Margaret's and Orange
County Supervisor Lisa l3artiett's Food Distribution.
The COVID-19 Crisis has forced CREER to be creative and resourceful
and to realign goals and programs to continue to help anyone who
comes to our doors asking for help. It is important to mention that
before the COVID-19 crisis, 90% of the families that CREER served live
at or under the poverty level and this crisis has only aggravated their
situation. However, at the CREER/OCC Food Recovery Kitchen Pantry,
we are currently serving families of all financial backgrounds,
nationalities, ethnicities, and ages. People who have never asked for
any aid in the past are picking up food every week in the hopes of
saving a little bit of money to be able to pay for other necessities. The
COVID-19 Crisis has proven right what many economists agree on,, that
most families are two paychecks away from financial ruin; well, now we
know this is a fact as we are living it every day... Right now, most of our
families five in a constant storm trying to decide whether to put food on
the table, make the rent, or pay their bills.
CREER 's FinanciaiHardship and PPP Loan App/icadon.
Furthermore, it turns out that not only working Americans are living two
paychecks from financial ruin, but most small businesses are as well.
We, at CREER, had to close all our Educational Programs and this has
caused extreme financial hardship to our organization. We exist on
donations, grants, fundraisers, and small tuition fees that are directly
linked to these programs. If we do not have programs, we cannot
generate income. In the last five months of the COVID-19 Pandemic,
we were forced to cancel three sessions of Afterschool Programs, the
year-round CREER Homework Club, and the 9t' Annual Session of the
CREER Summer Programs. These programs are not only the cornerstone
of the CREER Mission, vision, and values but all CREER fundraising
efforts as well; therefore, we lost all income when we were forced to
cancel these programs. In addition to the cancelation of these programs,
we had to cancel two quarterly scheduled fundraisers and were denied a
grant. The estimated loss of income since the pandemic started to date
is more than $88,750.00. Attached, please find a copy of the 2020
CREER Calendar of canceled scheduled events.
P.O. Box 1347 • San Juan Capistrano, CA 92693 • www.creeroc.org
We have received a $14.400.00 PPP Loan and a small grant of
$7,020.00 from the Orange County 5th District Supervisor Lisa Bartlett
to pay for salaries and administrative expenses, as well as several
individual donations in the approximate amount of $24,794 which give
us a total amount of $50,214.21. However, the estimated projected
income since the pandemic started to date is $88,750.00 minus the
collected income year to date since the pandemic started of $50,214.21
gives us an estimated loss of income in the amount of $38,535.79.
All the individually donated funds have gone to the implementation of
the Food Pantry, the Diaper Program, and the Family Emergency Fund
to help the most vulnerable members of our community. For the Diaper
Program alone, we were spending $500 - $750 in diapers per week,
unfortunately, we ran out of money to continue the implementation of
the Diaper Program and the Family Emergency Fund Program. The
necessity is overwhelming, and it is heartbreaking to have to turn people
away for lack of funding or because we run out of food for the day.
Additionally, maintaining the CREER Pantry open is an expense that was
not considered but is necessary every week. We usually spend $300 -
$350 per week in PPE, face masks, gloves, face -shields, hand-sanitizers,
cleaning materials, lunches, snacks, water, and whatever else we need
to assure the safety of the 30-35 volunteers who help us run the CREER
Pantry every week. We also provide facemasks to people who forget to
bring one or just cannot afford one. As per the CDC and Health
Department requirements, no one can pick up food without a
facemask. From time to time, we also provide facemask, individual hand
sanitizers, plastic gloves, sandwiches, snacks, and water to some of our
homeless community. We need all the help that we can get to continue
to offer these vital programs and services to the most vulnerable
members of our community.
During the first weeks of the pandemic, the CREER Board of Directors
was considering furloughing our two employees when we learned about
the PPP Loans. They gave us the green light to submit our application
through the SBA, but we never got a response from them. When the
application process opened through the banks, we contacted Mr. Marcos
Reyes, Vice -President / Branch Manager at Farmers & Merchants Bank at
the San Juan Capistrano Branch. Mr. Marcos Reyes sent us the PPP
Loan Application, walked us through the entire process, and after we
provided all the necessary paperwork, we received our loan on April
24th, 2020.
P.O. Box 1347 o San Juan Capistrano, CA 92693 ^ www.creeroc.org
However, we continue to struggle every day to get the funds to continue
to keep our doors open, pay salaries, and keep the CREER food pantry
open. As of today, we only have $3,654.00 in our bank account, and we
are in dire need of funding to continue with the CREER Mission and Food
Pantry for the remainder of the year.
Community Partners During the CO&TD-19 Crisis;
We want to thank everybody at the City of San Juan Capistrano for your
continued support of the CREER Programs, but more importantly, for
your support of Tuesday's CREER Food Pantry during this crisis. Also, for
sharing the orange harvest from la Riata Park with the CREER Pantry.
We want to thank the Ecology Center for their contribution to the CREER
Pantry. We usually get 30-35 boxes of produce every other week. We
also want to thank CAPO USD and Saddleback College for their
support.
We want to express our utmost gratitude to The Jewish Community
Foundation, Community Presbyterian Church, Mr. and Mrs. Ron Eckhart
from Emerald Cove Day Camps, Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Pierce, Mr. Jesus
Romero, Mr. and Mrs. Brian Mandel, and so many others for their
generous contributions to the CREER Emergency Fund. Without their
financial support, the CREER Food Pantry and The Emergency Family
Fund would have been forced to close months ago.
We want to thank everyone at Farmers & Merchants Bank, San Juan
Capistrano Branch for all their help and continued support, especially Mr.
Marcos Reyes for his help and hard work in helping us secure our PPP
.loan. These funds were vital to continuing with the CREER Mission in
our community.
We want to thank the editors at the Dispatch for their continued
support and all the articles that they have published about CREER's
Mission and Programs. We will be forever grateful for helping us spread
the word and for all the wonderful people who have reached out to us
because of them. We have received multiple single monetary donations,
food donations, and offers of help at the pantry because of their
articles.
We want to thank Orange County's 5th District Supervisor Lisa Bartlett
for awarding CREER Comunidad y Familia a Small Business Emergency
Relief Grant. While we initially did not receive an award, upon closure of
the program, her office had an opportunity to award grants to additional
applicants and CREER was one of those applicants.
P.O. Box 1347 • San Juan Capistrano, CA 92693 • www.creeroc.org i
We want to express our heartfelt appreciation to all the wonderful and
generous people of San Juan Capistrano and Neighboring Cities for their
generosity. We are all in this crisis together, and what we do or not do
right now matters to us all. Our children are our future, and what they
live every day during this crisis will shape the characters of thousands of
children in our communities.
It is up to everyone to help mitigate the negative impact this crisis will
have on their lives as much as possible. CREER, with the help of so
many, is doing just that in San Juan Capistrano and Neighboring Cities -
for our children.
Wlyats Next?
As I mentioned to you at the beginning of this missive, The COVID-19
Pandemic has affected us all in an unprecedented and terrible way,
and I am afraid that the consequences and length of this crisis are yet to
be determined. However, CREER and everyone who wants to be part of
our efforts will be here to help our children and their families. We had
to refocus CREEWs Programs, goals, and efforts to adjust to the needs
of our community at large, and out of necessity, the CREER/OCC Food
Recovery Kitchen Pantry was born. One thing is certain in the future,
the CREER Educational Programs will be as vital, if not more vital when
the COVID-19 is over. When our children return to school, we will
continue to be here to help with their education. Meanwhile, with your
help and the generosity of other members of the community, we will
make sure our children and their families continue to have food on their
tables.
CREER means to Eelieve.
We believed that we would find a partner to provide food for our
children and their families, and we did. We believed that people in our
community would listen to our pleas for help, and they have, and we
believe that they will continue to do so. We believe in helping our
children and their families through this crisis, and we believe we will
break through stronger as a community. We believe in our community
and the good in people's hearts, and we at CREER witness the good in
people's hearts every day. Every Tuesday we work with 30-35 wonderful
volunteers who work side by side (6 Feet apart), keeping social distance,
wearing facemasks and gloves in 100 -degree temperatures to put food
on the tables of the people who have been most affected by the COVID-
19 Crisis. We believe in being grateful, and we want to thank everyone
from the bottom of our hearts for helping us feed our children!!
P.O. Box 1347 • San Juan Capistrano, CA 92693 • www.creeroo.org
Thank you for your time and consideration to our letter. Any funding
consideration to help our efforts would be heartedly appreciated. We
are looking forward to hearing from you soon. Meanwhile, please do
not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any assistance or need
additional information. Have a wonderful week!
COMUNIDAD Y FAMILIA
Phone: (714) 788-8339
Website: www.creeroc.oro
Facebook: www.facebook.com/creeroc
P.O. Box 1347 • San Juan Capistrano, CA 92693 • www.creeroc.org
Mission
To develop childran, youth and families through educationa4 cultural,
sports, and civic leadership programs.