Rubicon Programs will distribute hot meals and toys to approximately 200 program participants and their families on Saturday, December 18 and Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at four of its East Bay locations. This marks the 12th year that the organization has provided gifts and food as part of a winter holiday celebration.

Rubicon’s Chief Program Officer Donté Blue says the giveaway events are a reminder to community members that they matter. “Since the beginning of time, sharing a warm meal has symbolized caring for another’s well-being in the same way a holiday toy brings joy – because someone cared enough to think about you,” Blue says. “We want our participants to know Rubicon is thinking about them and their well-being during this holiday season.”

A group of nearly 20 people across the sites, comprised of Rubicon employees and Participant Advisory Board members, will be on hand to distribute the toys and meals. Due to COVID-19 safety concerns at last year’s event, meals were not provided at the toy distribution, making this year’s festivities a welcome return to tradition for both Rubicon staff and participants.

Director of Community Based Programs Rhody McCoy looks forward to interacting with participants and their families at these events each year. “Rubicon considers the community we work in family,” McCoy says. “We are pleased and honored to be able to invite people to our sites, host these special events and participate in each family's holiday celebration and share the joy!”

Ron Thomas, Site Manager for Rubicon’s Concord location, secured the toys through the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation’s local campaign in Concord, CA, known for its annual collection and distribution of toys during the holiday season. In total, Rubicon distributes 400-500 toys each year in partnership with the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation and Centerforce, which receives additional donations through community churches.

“Every child needs a village. Rubicon is that village for families in the community,” Thomas says.

Participants who are enrolled in Rubicon’s programs have already received their invitations to the events. The food and toy distributions will take place at the following locations and times:

Saturday, December 18, 2021, 12:00 – 2:00 pm, Reentry Success Center

Tuesday, December 21, 2021, 4:30 – 6:00 pm Rubicon Antioch, Richmond, and Concord locations

As part of the organization’s commitment to supporting staff members’ well-being, Rubicon Programs recently hosted its annual Wellness Fair for employees company-wide. The event took place over three afternoons on October 13-15 and included both online and in-person activities.

Rubicon’s Recruitment and Engagement Specialist Adriana Ponce-Matteucci led the efforts to plan and organize the event, from the initial conceptual stage all the way through hosting the closing activity. “Making time for yourself isn’t selfish or a waste of time, it’s an investment in yourself,” Ponce-Matteucci said. “We get very wrapped up in our work, which is important, but we focus on everything else around us: family, work, kids. It’s also important to say, ‘My health matters’ and to take time to invest in yourself.”

Over 30 live events were scheduled during the course of the Wellness Fair, the most highly attended being the closing event virtual standup show with Comedy Oakland. For the second time in the fair’s nine-year history, some of the events were available in Spanish to be more inclusive of the organization’s diverse workforce. In addition to the live events, participants could schedule one-on-one appointments with vendors from the healthcare, fitness, finance, and insurance industries.

The event was organized by a Wellness Fair Planning Committee made up of eight Rubicon Staff from different departments and locations. The Committee worked together for three months to make sure a variety of activities for all interests and abilities would be available at the event.

Wellness Coach Kellisha Moore decided to join the Committee to help emphasize the value of focusing on wellness. “I think that it is extremely important to prioritize our wellness and cultivate an active mindset of peace,” Moore said.

In addition to attending the Wellness Fair itself, joining the Planning Committee was a way for some staff members to enhance their professional development. WIOA Career Coach Mayra Corral was excited to be offered the opportunity to contribute as a Committee member. “I joined because I wanted to be involved with the organization outside of my role in Rubicon,” Corral said. “I'm a planner and like to plan parties, dinners, and outings outside of work. When I was presented with the opportunity to do it for work, I signed up as soon as I could.”

Ponce-Matteucci is proud of the work that the Planning Committee did to bring the Wellness Fair to the organization while still following COVID-19 safety measures. “Even though the way we have to work has changed, our values and what we want to give to employees didn’t change,” Ponce-Matteucci said. “I think it’s pretty awesome that we could continue the Wellness Fair and find a way to adapt it during some of the most difficult times that some of us have ever experienced.”

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIF., OCTOBER 7, 2021 … The Contra Costa County Measure X Community Advisory Board (CAB) voted last evening to accept a report listing first-year recommended funding priorities for submission to the Board of Supervisors. The list contains five goal areas supported by 43 strategies, many of which are aligned with Rubicon’s comprehensive programs.

Community-based services—including those that Rubicon provides such as mental health support, training and employment, and reentry support—are prioritized strategies in all of the goal areas highlighted in the report. The strategies were each rated as a top priority by at least 51% of voting board members at the September 8, 2021 meeting.

Michelle Stewart, District 5 CAB member and the Antioch Site Manager for Rubicon Programs, says the decisions on how to prioritize the funding recommendations were challenging. “It was really tough, because we had a bumper crop of presentations from numerous people, and it’s very difficult to make these kinds of decisions because everything is important,” Stewart said. “Do you prioritize seniors over children? Do you prioritize a lab for the regional hospital over mental health services? Do you prioritize housing over transportation? It’s all important, and it makes a difference in the quality of life for people and their ability to survive.”

In order to ensure that the CAB heard a sufficient variety of voices in the discussions, a total of 94 subject matter experts, including five from Rubicon, presented on a variety of community needs, issues, and topics during CAB meetings that were held over four months. Members of the public also gave their input by writing in and attending meetings, with some community members appearing at the virtual meetings nearly every week.

Although public attendance at the meetings grew over time, Stewart thinks there are more residents to hear. “We did get a lot of public comments, but we could get a lot more,” Stewart said. “I would have liked to have seen more residents participate and make comments about what is needed in their communities, in their neighborhoods, and what are their concerns.”

The recommendations in the report are not tied to specific dollar amounts. Instead, the CAB assigned rankings to each strategy to help the Board of Supervisors understand the priority levels to determine funding allocations. The rankings are based on the relative popularity of each strategy based on the September 8 vote, with community-based mental health services, establishing a County Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice, expanded comprehensive healthcare for the uninsured, and tenant legal services among the top ten.

Stewart cautions residents not to get discouraged if they don’t see their priorities at the top of the list. “This is just the first year. Just because you weren’t prioritized now doesn’t make you not a priority,” Stewart said. “We’re going to make our recommendations in the next couple of weeks, we’ll have a few weeks off, and then we’re right back at it. So just continue showing up.”

According to the report, Measure X is a countywide, voter-approved half cent tax that is intended “to keep Contra Costa’s regional hospital open and staffed; fund community health centers, emergency response; support crucial safety-net services; invest in early childhood services; protect vulnerable populations; and for other essential county services.” The CAB was established in February 2021 and is made up of 17 members—10 supervisorial district appointees and 7 at-large members—who serve two-year terms with a maximum limit of six years total. The CAB currently meets Wednesdays at 5:00 pm on Zoom.

As the Bay Area continues to gradually reopen with restrictions, Rubicon Programs and the San Lorenzo Adult School are teaming up with a group of over 30 community partners to host the Welcome Back Outdoor Resource/Job Fair on October 5. This is the first event of its kind at the school since late 2019.

“This pandemic has isolated people, and it’s prevented them from reaching out for help, for whatever reason,” San Lorenzo Adult School Principal Sharita Williams said. “I want to start to help break down that isolation in the community.”

Rubicon staff will be on site to connect attendees with the organization’s resources. In addition to engaging the community with Rubicon’s core programs and supportive services, staff will have information about COVID-19 relief grants and unique work opportunities available because of pandemic funding.

In addition to Rubicon, at least 33 confirmed vendors, many with job openings they are looking to fill, will be at the event. Diane Jesus, Workforce Development Navigator for Rubicon Programs, sees the event as a way to inspire participants who have struggled through the pandemic. “We are coming together to give hope to the community that has been in a pandemic for the past 18 months,” Jesus said. “I feel that our community needs empowerment and hope, and we are all coming together to let them know that there are valuable resources out here, and there are a lot of employers willing to hire.”

Other community-based organizations will also be on site to connect attendees with resources. Among them will be El Shaddai Ministries from San Lorenzo, whose volunteers will be distributing 80 to 100 nonperishable food boxes. Information about COVID-19 vaccinations and testing will also be available to all attendees, and a number of vendors will conduct giveaways throughout the event.

Trish Jetson, Transition Specialist for San Lorenzo Adult School, wants the event to show people that there are resources available for them in their own neighborhoods. “We are opening our doors for in-person lessons for the first time since we closed for the pandemic in March of 2020,” Jetson said. “Sometimes people don’t know that they are living around a valuable resource, and that’s what I know this school is.”

The fair is free and open to the public. Precautions are being taken to ensure that the outdoor event remains safe for attendees, including expanded space between vendors, a mask requirement for all on site, and low-touch activities to reduce contact with communal surfaces.

Rubicon Programs and San Lorenzo Adult School have collaborated together for the past eight years to bolster one another’s services for the community. The two agencies work in partnership to provide job skills training and employment resources to students and community members, among other services.

San Lorenzo Adult School offers a variety of free classes for the community, including a high school diploma program, and courses in Adult Basic Education/GED prep, English as a second language, computer skills, discussion and conversation skills, sewing, fashion design, and more. “We want people to know that we are here and open for the community,” Williams said. “We have a lot of free classes and resources that we can provide, and we want people to know that we are here for them.”

For questions or to get your organization involved in the event, contact Diane Jesus at dianej@rubiconprograms.org.

A fruitful partnership between Rubicon, Diablo Valley College (DVC), and the Foundation for California Community Colleges (FCCC) is breaking down the stigma around student food insecurity and removing financial barriers to higher education for community college students. 

According to Special Projects Manager Kimi Barnes, far too many students go hungry and drop out of school for financial reasons because they are not aware that they qualify for - and deserve - help on their academic journeys. Through the Fresh Success program at DVC, Rubicon has been able to connect these students to CalFresh benefits and food pantries; provide money for textbooks, school supplies and remote learning expenses; and offer coaching and referrals to campus and community resources like housing assistance and mental health services.

Rubicon’s partnership with DVC and the FCCC is a response to a widespread problem affecting almost half of the student population at

community and public colleges across the nation. As school costs continue to climb and the economic gap widens, students are forced to pour all of their resources into tuition, textbooks and other expenses, sometimes at the expense of food and other basic needs. A study published in 2019 by Temple University’s Hope Center for College, Community and Justice found that 45 percent of students at 100 institutions had experienced food insecurity while at school. At the same time, according to Barnes, many of those students are “far along in their self-determination.” In other words, they are used to doing things on their own and sometimes uncomfortable asking others for support.

But LaReese Stitts, the Fresh Success Impact Coach at DVC, is an expert at breaking down barriers and stigmas around student hunger by reframing what it means to get help. For example, she might tell a student, “This is short term and it will allow you to get to the place where you can support others.” 

Stitts also acts as a resource and an advisor for Rubicon Comprehensive Program participants who enroll at DVC, forming a bridge between the foundation classes and a college education. 

To qualify for the Fresh Success Program, students must be Contra Costa residents who are eligible for CalFresh benefits and enrolled in at least one career education, ESL, or basic skills class at DVC. Once they are part of the program, they begin their coaching sessions with Stitts, who directs them to on- and off-campus resources to support them. Many students are unaware of services and benefits available to them, Stitts said, recalling one participant who did not know he qualified for a Promise Grant to pay his tuition costs and had therefore been struggling mightily to make ends meet. Other students struggling with food insecurity had no idea they qualified for CalFresh benefits and had access to a food pantry on the DVC campus. By simply guiding students toward existing avenues of support, Stitts is able to profoundly impact their experience of college for the better. 

The Fresh Success program has been nimble during the pandemic, adjusting its services to meet current needs. For example, what used to be a transportation stipend is now monthly financial support for WiFi and other remote learning necessities. While students everywhere are facing challenges during the pandemic, Stitts is proud of the Fresh Success program in its first year of existence at DVC. “The program’s coaching model has assisted students in highlighting their own self resilience and strengths during this difficult time,” she said.