 Programs »
West Marin Community Services provides three main programs: The West Marin Community Resource Center, The West Marin Community Thrift Store, and Fiscal Agent services for local community organizations and projects.
1. West Marin Community Resource Center (WMCRC), partners with county, state, and nonprofit organizations to provide services and programs to the disadvantaged, and to the community at-large. The programs provided are:
- Emergency food distribution in partnership with the Marin County Food Bank, the USDA emergency food program, and community donations.
- Emergency Energy Assistance, provides help with propane, wood, and electricity, so families and individuals have light, warmth, and the opportunity to cook their meals.
- Emergency Housing Assistance, such as rent and security deposits, is available so our neighbors can remain in their community, and not be forced into homelessness.
- Vouchers for emergency food, gas, and clothing, are available to disadvantaged West Marin residents. Funding is also available to help with critical family needs such as car repairs, moving expenses, and limited medical needs.
- Grants and loans to people in crisis can be arranged using the profits from the West Marin Thrift Store, so community members in need can be supported during challenging times.
- Information and referrals are available to people seeking help. If we can’t help, we’ll do our best to find someone who can.
- Case management for at-risk clients is available to help constituents during difficult times through partnerships with the West Marin Health and Human Services and Child Protective Services.
- Waterdogs Swim Class, with American Red Cross certified instructors, is provided every summer to teach children in West Marin how to swim.
- Community Blood Drives are organized three times a year to provide West Marin residents the opportunity to give the gift of life in partnership with the Blood Centers of the Pacific.
- Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner, is provided to anyone in the West Marin community at no charge. Delicious food, celebration, and community belonging are just a few of the benefits provided by this program.
- Employment Referral Board, offers the West Marin community a centralized location for residents to find jobs, and employers to find employees.
- Housing Referral Board, offers the West Marin community a centralized location for people to find housing, and property managers and homeowners to find long-term renters.
- Christmas Holiday Cooperative Program for low-income and disadvantaged community members, provides families and individuals with food, clothing, and gifts. Compassion, joy, and community sharing are the values that support this important program.
2. West Marin Thrift Store, created as a vehicle to raise money to support West Marin residents, uses the profits from the Thrift Store to assist people with emergency grants and loans for supportive care; grants to local childcare and preschool agencies for scholarships to low-income families; and grants to low-income seniors to provide for caregiver assistance, and any other critical needs.
The West Marin Thrift Store supplies low-cost and emergency no-cost clothing and household items to the community. It also gives the community a place to recycle and purchase quality merchandise. Volunteers provide the majority of the labor, with guidance from two part-time managers.
3. Fiscal Agent Services, through West Marin Community Services provides administrative and fiscal agent services for community programs. Some of the programs we’ve provided this service to:
- Point Reyes Community Garden, created in April 2001 to teach, garden, and grow organic food.
- English-as-a-Second Language Program (ESL) at the Shoreline Unified School District, for Latino parents whose children attend local West Marin Schools.
- The Bodega Bay Afterschool Cooperative Program
- The West Marin Afterschool Program
- School-Linked Services Collaboration through the Shoreline School District.
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