Thirty-five years later, Share the Spirit is still helping those who help our communities

When Carol Carrillo went through the financial books for the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Contra Costa County last January, she figured the news would be good. The nonprofit organization had already been the beneficiary of the East Bay Times’ Share the Spirit campaign in previous years.

The organization’s executive director was a little surprised at just how good it was.

“We got our Share the Spirit funding, and that’s obviously a big deal,” she said. “But because the story ran, we raised an additional $15,000. People read these stories, and they absolutely make an impact. People read about something, they want to help, and that help goes beyond the holiday season.”

In our annual East Bay Times’ Share the Spirit series centered on giving — now in its 35th year — we will recount the journey of those who have forged ahead with grit and determination despite economic uncertainty, debilitating illness and devastating loss. The need in our community is greater than ever, as many of our neighbors still face deep challenges.

Today, we offer a preview of these stories in our special Share the Spirit magazine. The full stories will appear throughout the holiday season. We hope you can make their wishes come true.

What started out as an idea under then-Contra Costa Times owner Dean Lesher has grown into one of the East Bay Times’ most meaningful annual endeavors.

“It’s become the largest donor we’ve had the past three years,” said Victoria Ryan, the executive director of LITA (Love is the Answer) of Contra Costa County. “It’s been responsible for more than half of what we’ve been able to get accomplished in that time.”

Starting on Thanksgiving Day and continuing throughout December, we will share inspiring stories that illustrate the resiliency of the human spirit — sparking awe, compassion and empathy.

You will read stories of those who were once unhoused but now have a roof and shelter; an organization that pairs dogs trained to detect dangerously low-level blood sugar with people suffering from diabetes; a worker who as a kid saw his parents struggle and now works with St. Vincent de Paul; an ongoing success story called Meals on Wheels; and more.

Their stories are all designed to help the organizations that offer so much help to others. This concept of providing for the providers has lifted Share the Spirit to heights that Lesher could only have imagined when the campaign first launched two months after the Loma Prieta Earthquake.

In 2023 alone, Share the Spirit awarded 27 grants totaling $536,441. According to its impact report, 122,045 lives in Contra Costa and Alameda counties were directly touched. More than 750 people made financial donations.

Since its inception in 1989, Share the Spirit has raised more than $5 million and made more than 700 grants, providing relief to more than 800,000 people in the East Bay.

“For 35 years, we have supported and served the communities of the East Bay. Share the Spirit is one of the best ways we demonstrate our commitment to that mission,” Bay Area News Group Publisher Sharon Ryan said. “We have all been through many changes over that time, but one thing that has remained constant over those 35 years is our unwavering loyalty to the people we serve.”

It has come a long way since a small blurb in a December edition of the Contra Costa Times said the paper was starting a Christmas fund and seeking donations to raise money for nonprofits in Contra Costa County. It would’ve been easy for Bay Area residents to miss it; the region was still recovering from the earthquake, and the 49ers were rolling toward their fourth Super Bowl crown.

These days, the campaign takes a prominent spot in the publication’s coverage.

Editor Kate Bradshaw oversees the Share the Spirit project, coordinating and working with nonprofits to determine what stories will be told.

“One thing that stands out is what a labor of love it is for our newsroom,” Bradshaw said. “The passion and work that everybody puts into this — especially during election seasons and so many other things — really shows in the stories.”

Said Ryan: “Through Share the Spirit, we leverage the talent of our amazing storytellers to connect the generosity of our readers with those in need across the East Bay.”

Former Times editor Cecily Burt, who oversaw the project for a decade before retiring in 2023, said the project worked in recent years to extend its reach.

“We really pushed to get more and more new agencies and organizations involved,” Burt said. “A lot of people are in need out there, and we weren’t reaching everybody we needed to reach.”

That continues to be the primary challenge of the Share the Spirit campaign: reaching and helping all those who need to be reached.

“We feel very lucky to have had this through the years,” Carrillo said. “It does two things. It raises awareness of the work that’s being done in the community, and, in our case, it raises awareness of how important child abuse prevention is. The other main thing is the timing of the funding. The holidays can be a stressful time for a lot of people, especially when they’re struggling to make ends meet. That can create a ton of stress. For a family to receive a gift, it empowers them.”