For young adults transitioning out of foster care, housing instability is often among the greatest challenges they face. This, along with underemployment or unemployment and a sudden lack of support and resources, significantly increases the likelihood that they will ultimately slip through the cracks. Walden Family Services, a 50-year-old nonprofit that helps find stable, supportive home environments for local youth in foster care, is addressing the problem head-on through

Prom is a rite of passage for high schoolers, but a flashy new dress can cost hundreds of dollars. The Princess Project helps girls cut costs while promoting fashion sustainability. The nonprofit collects new and gently used formal dresses and accessories throughout the year, then when prom season rolls around, launches pop-up boutiques where girls can shop for their dream dress at no cost. The only criteria is they have to be a high school student who’s going to prom. The P

Community engagement is the intentional practice of individuals coming together to support one another and address local needs through small or large-scale actions. This process fosters social cohesion, ensuring that every resident feels seen, valued, and supported during times of personal or collective hardship. A vibrant community is built on the belief that no act of kindness is too small to make a difference. Whether you are donating physical goods, giving your time, or s

Our service men and women risk life and limb for our country, and sadly many return home with serious combat injuries ranging from lost arms and legs to traumatic brain injuries and PTSD. Rehabbing from such wounds not only takes physical dedication, but also mental determination. It is a lifelong process of perseverance and learning, not unlike one of the most invigorating and simultaneously frustrating of all human diversions: the game of golf. Founded in 2008 by local golf

Every Saturday, dozens of unhoused San Diegans line up outside the Small Potatoes Foundation ’s pop-up in Pacific Beach for a home-cooked meal and a brief reprieve after a week of hardship. The menu includes Waldorf chicken salad sandwiches with fresh herbs, freshly baked muffins, fruit, and coffee—organic when possible, and all made with love. The weekly brunch has grown over the last year and a half into a mission of hope, connection, and nourishment. That mission is deep

In 2016, a group of female surfers in Oahu came together with a shared belief: When women come together to support and uplift one another, they can change the world. The surfing sisterhood founded the Changing Tides Foundation , initially to provide aid in disaster-stricken coastal communities in Latin America, then shifting the focus to empowering those communities’ girls and young women after witnessing a common thread of gender disparities. “Teen girls would be inside the

For more than 50 years, Home Start, Inc. has been working to prevent child abuse and neglect by strengthening families and communities. The nonprofit addresses conditions that increase the risk of abuse, such as poverty and unemployment, through education, therapy, and parenting support programs . Last year, Home Start served more than 15,000 San Diegans in need of services. Volunteers like Sharon Semple help Home Start accomplish its mission . In fiscal year 2025, 534 peopl

Since 2001, an estimated 41 percent of veterans have been receiving health care services through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)...

More than 100 people gathered in the courtyard behind First Lutheran Church in Cortez Hill this week for coffee and breakfast sandwiches...