Angels Camp, CA…Sierra HOPE has been awarded a grant for $1,000 from The Calaveras Community Foundation to support their Community Food Pantry program. The grant is made possible due to a generous donation from the Federlein Family Fund of the San Francisco Community Foundation, in honor of Lloyd Federlein, and is to support food pantries serving Calaveras County. Funds will be used to purchase food that is distributed at the Community Food Pantry. The Pantry, located at Sierra HOPE’s office at 1168 Booster Way in Angels Camp, is open every Wednesday afternoon from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.

According to Tori Palmberg, Sierra HOPE’s Program Coordinator, “This will provide nutritious food to the most vulnerable in our local community, including our seniors. We have been seeing an increase in the number of people using our food pantry, many of them seniors, disabled or homeless.”

Originally founded in 1990 in Sonora, CA, they moved to Angels Camp in 1997 after services were expanded to Amador and Calaveras Counties, and changed their name to Sierra HOPE in 2005. Their primary program is to assist residents of Amador, Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties who are living with HIV to access appropriate treatment and prevent new infections. The Community Food Pantry was established in 2007 to serve any Calaveras County resident who is experiencing difficulty obtaining adequate food for themselves or their families. Other services include an Emergency Homeless Prevention Program which can assist with rent or essential utility payments for low income residents of Calaveras County, and a Permanent Supportive Housing program, consisting of six apartments in Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties, for individuals who are homeless and have a permanent disability. HIV and Hepatitis C rapid-testing is also available at Sierra HOPE by appointment.

The Calaveras Community Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that is dedicated to improving Calaveras communities by providing grants to partner organizations, assisting donors and providing leadership in addressing charitable causes. More information about the Foundation is available online at www.calaverascommunityfoundation.org or by calling (209) 736-1945.