A big picnic and barbecue to be held near the bay shore at Miller Knox Regional Park on Saturday will raise money for the city’s homeless.
“There are a lot of good reasons to do you what you can to help the homeless in your community,” said Tiffany Scott, event coordinator for Richmond-based Saffron Strand, Inc., a nonprofit homeless advocacy organization. “But for our event Saturday, you don’t even need a reason. You just need to come and eat and have a good time.”
The “Friends and Family B-B-Q” is set to begin at 11 a.m. and run until 4 p.m. Saturday at the waterfront park. Homeless members of Saffron Strand Inc., have organized the event as a fundraiser that will benefit the group’s programs. Founded by Executive Director Yvonne Nair, Saffron Strand helps homeless people in Contra Costa County with job training and placement. About 15,000 Contra Costa County residents experience homelessness each year, according to county statistics.
The program, which was started with just a dozen participants 3 years ago, now has more than 140 members, Scott said.
The program calls the homeless men and women “members” because they are active participants in their own treatment and training, Scott said. Homeless adults can become members in exchange for their time and effort working the Richmond Center, located at 124 Washington Avenue in Point Richmond. Saffron Strand members and volunteers also participate in other activities aimed at the area’s homeless, including the annual Project Homeless Connect event in Richmond, which brings together a variety of services at one location for area homeless.
Scott, 22, is not just an administrator. She’s also a member. “As I became an adult, I just couldn’t get a job,” Scott said. “Next thing I knew, I became homeless.”
Now Scott works with volunteers and administrators at Saffron Strand Inc., and is being groomed as an event coordinator and office manager.
Saturday’s fundraiser will include a menu of chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, side dishes and soft drinks. Live music and activities and games like sack races and face painting will also be provided.
Pre-registration is required for attendance. To register, visit: http://saffronstrand.org/ or call 510-778-9492 or via email: tiffany@saffronstrand.org. The event will be held at Miller Knox Regional Park, 900 Dornan Drive, in the Point Richmond area, and admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children.
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