Nonprofits and Businesses Partner for Ritter House Event

A great partnership, helping the San Rafael community has a huge success!

This year the SOS Marin Donation Drive was a partnership between Ritter Center, Novato Human Needs Center, Goodwill Industries and business partners Bank of Marin and IndiDenim.  Last year, the event provided the Ritter Center with $6,250 in vouchers, enough to provide clothing and other household items to more than 400 low income and homeless residents of Marin County.

This year, donors could bring clothing and small household goods to 10 Bank of Marin branches in Marin County for nearly two weeks before the August 14 drive and indiDenim donated hundreds of premium jeans to Ritter Center's SOS Marin denim drive. This year, the SOS Marin drive collected double the number of total donations, generating $12,400 in vouchers for clients of the Ritter Center and new partner the Novato Human Needs Center. Those vouchers will allow approximately 800 Marin County low-income and homeless residents to shop for free at participating Goodwill stores. "This year's SOS Marin Donation Drive eclipsed even my most optimistic expectations," Benjamin Leroi, Ritter Center's director of development and operations said. "The enthusiastic participation of all the collaborators – from the agencies collecting the donations to the companies who contributed to our effort like Bank of Marin and indiDenim to the volunteers who worked the day of the drive – is really what made SOS Marin such an amazing success this year."

Ritter Center, based in downtown San Rafael, is a community-based nonprofit organization that has assisted Marin's low-income and homeless population for over 28 years. They help the homeless and very low-income residents of Marin – individuals and families – stabilize their lives by offering a number of social services: case management; primary health care; emergency food and clothing; emergency financial assistance; showers, laundry, and restroom facilities; general delivery mail and voicemail.  All of their programs and services are provided free of charge.  To learn more visit www.rittercenter.org

The SOS Marin event is a fantastic way to get involved in San Rafael.  Stay tuned for details on next year's event.

Julie Burk is the Volunteer Services Director at the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership of Marin, a San Rafael organization that promotes volunteerism, strengthens nonprofit organizations, and enhances community leadership in Marin County through a broad range of services and resources.  For more info or to get involved in San Rafael visitwww.volunteermarin.org

Caption for photo: SOS Marin volunteers make good use of their Saturday by helping to unload cars with donated items for low-income residents.

Julie Burk | Volunteer Services Director | Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership of Marin | (415) 479-5710 x340