San Francisco Bay Area residents benefit from free aid & donations from

Felix Y. Manalo Foundation, Inc.

Hundreds of East Oakland residents were gifted care packages and school supplies from the Felix Y. Manalo (FYM) Foundation, the charitable arm of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC or Church Of Christ) during the Aug. 17 Aid to Humanity event. Eight local organizations received donations to support their community work in the greater Bay Area, which has one of the highest costs of living in the nation.

“Everybody is on high alert and stressed because of the cost of rent - it’s ridiculous,” says Dwayne Aikens, Jr. of We Lead Ours, an Oakland organization concentrating on providing children with enrichment programs to hone life skills. But the FYM Foundation “they are doing more than the United States Federal Government. You’re moving mountains - that was beautiful. And, you’re doing it without asking for anything in return.”

The FYM Foundation recognized the Oakland Public Education Fund, We Lead Ours, Make-A-Wish Foundation - Greater Bay Area, International Rescue Committee, City of Oakland - Parks & Recreation, East Oakland Community Project, Aspire Education Project and the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Silicon Valley, gifting each with a $10,000 donation to support the positive social impact of their work.

“This will make a great impact on our organization,” says Aria Brock of the International Rescue Committee, “because we’ll be able to help more people… many of our clients are having struggles with homes, giving supplies to their children to go to school. Having some funding is fantastic and is really helpful to all of our clients to be able to get them into homes.”

Local dignitaries in attendance include: Libby Schaaf - Mayor of Oakland; Rob Bonta - California State Assemblymember, 18th District of Oakland, Alameda, and San Leandro; Henry Bensurto - Consul General of the Philippine Consulate of San Francisco; Dorie Paniza Cachuela - Daly City Library Commissioner; and Thelma Batilo - Lions Club District Governor.

The Oakland event is the 5th stop of the FYM Foundation’s Aid to Humanity U.S. outreach series this August. After starting in Brownsville, N.Y. Aug. 11, Aid to Humanity reached the communities of Marlow Heights, Md., Seattle, Wash., and will continue in Arizona, and Los Angeles, California.

Earlier this year, Aid to Humanity events helped 36 local organizations in Canada, serving thousands in need along the way, as part of its global aim to provide an opportunity for those most in need and contribute to supporting peaceful and productive communities. Other projects include eco-farming in Africa and the distribution of basic supplies to residents of favelas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Volunteers of the foundation have also offered relief aid in the aftermath of natural calamities, such as hurricanes and earthquakes in the Philippines and other disaster-stricken areas.

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For more about the Church and its activities, please visit www.iglesianicristo.net.

Contact

Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) Public Information Office

[email protected]

(650) 550-0629