Bay Area nonprofit holds fundraising drive to help families with critically ill children

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KGO) -- A Bay Area nonprofit that offers support to the families of children with critical illnesses is asking for help this thanksgiving. The executive director of There with Care tells ABC7 news demand for help is going up, while their funds are dwindling.

"We are seeing a 150% increase in the number of families we are serving since the beginning of the year and we are having trouble keeping up with the demand," said Executive Director Sara Alexander.

They help people like Joe Lino. He lives in Santa Maria but is in the Bay Area for six weeks where his three-year-old daughter will receive radiation treatments for her Stage 4 Cancer.

He stopped by There with Care in Redwood City Thursday and picked up new clothes and diapers. He says his daughter, Marly Jo, is so sick from the treatments she often stains her clothes and needs new ones.

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Volunteers lined up in their cars Thursday morning to pick-up warm, Thanksgiving meals to deliver to people in need throughout Marin County.

"They have made life so much easier for us, it has been a blessing," Lino said.

He says when she was first diagnosed they didn't think they needed any financial support.

"Things change really fast. When you think you are ok, this comes up, money gets depleted fast. You don't even realize what is going on," he said.

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But Alexander says Corporate Sponsorships and fundraising opportunities dried up during the pandemic.

"It's been two years since we have had our annual gala, which is a huge significant source of income for There With Care. We have been trying to figure out how to make ends meet so we don't have to say no to a family."

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Final preparations are underway for GLIDE's annual Thanksgiving brunch in San Francisco.

She says they have decided to try a holiday fundraising push.

"This year we are doing a holiday campaign and inviting the community to participate where they can go to our website and sponsor a family."

You can learn more about how to sponsor a family with a critically ill child here.