East Bay nonprofit Trybe giving back, focusing on action
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- In many communities across the Bay Area, people are in need. Whether it be from impact of the COVID-19 pandemic or for other reasons, a need is felt. In East Oakland, one community organization is stepping up to help.
On this day we found Andrew Park, the Executive Director of Trybe, helping organize a food delivery. With hundreds of meals being prepped to go to needy families across the East Bay. Trybe helps serve hundreds of families each year, and this year that need is growing.
"Trybe really got started through youth work and seeing that youth really needed a place to go but more they needed people to invest in them," Park said.
Park said he saw firsthand the struggles many youths faced. This sparked him to make a change. Determined to create a space where people are uplifted and nurtured, Park, along with youth and parents, founded Trybe, a community-based nonprofit rooted in the Eastlake, San Antonio, and Fruitvale areas of Oakland.
"What was needed was to build something that people can feel a part of, home that can exist apart from funding from the government, exist apart of family breakdowns," Park said.
It is through Trybe's mission to foster belonging and to bring people together that Park and community leaders are cultivating impactful and meaningful spaces of connection and support.
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The organization is focused on youth development, family resourcing, community events and mentorship. Park is using a community-based and youth-led approach to invest in youth and to help build a vibrant community in Oakland.
"I don't want to see any more death in the city. What we are trying to do is bring life," Park said.
Trybe's community impact is what drives a lot of the people who are a part of this organization. The impact it has on their own lives is also something they cherish.
"It's all about family. That is what Trybe is about. It is bringing more life to me as I give back to my community that I struggle from and grew up in," said Cirilo Hardinsaid, Trybe's program manager.
The COVID-19 pandemic also motivated some of Trybe's workers to join the organization. As more people lose their jobs, many are turning towards these organizations for help. Having lost his job due to the pandemic, Ricardo Roque found ways to uplift and give back to his community.
"I love what I do right now. I am helping people, which is what I really love to do," Roque said.
"If you want to make a difference, if you want to make an impact, I would say that you already know how to. It is about stepping out the door, making a phone call, and actually doing it," Park said.
Trybe is also facing a coming "cliff" as many at the nonprofit have called it. The funding they receive from the CARES Act has made Trybe's work possible. However, on December 31, this funding will no longer be available. The organization is now turning to other funding opportunities to help keep their work going.
To find out more about Trybe or to donate go here.
