Wells Fargo and HomeAid Inland Empire partner to help homeless

On a rainy Wednesday, May 30, Wells Fargo volunteers helped with the demolition and removal of portions of the interior of a house located a few doors down from the Central City Lutheran Mission site of Lutheran Social Services Southern California located at 1342 North G Street.

Wells Fargo’s East Highland Branch Manager Cesar Martinez is also the community advocate for the San Bernardino area. “In addition to my duties as a branch manager, I also am charged with finding ways to engage our local team in the community. At Wells Fargo we believe we are only as strong as the communities we serve so I find ways to help strengthen our local families and individuals by volunteering with local nonprofits.”  As part of Wells Fargo’s commitment to the community, each team member is given a total of 16 hours of volunteer time a year.

This was the third volunteer event in 45 days that Martinez set up through HomeAid Inland Empire. “I’m excited that our work today will lead to a program that will help men get back on their feet after being homeless,” added Martinez. HomeAid was the recipient of a Volunteer Team Member Network Grant for $15,000 and three volunteer days. Wells Fargo has been a strong supporter of HomeAid for the last six years, donating $70,000 in grants and almost 40 volunteer hours.

HomeAid is the nonprofit arm of the Building Industry Association (BIA) and dedicates itself to helping those in need of a home by building new or renovating existing housing operated by non-profit service providers. “When we help an organization like the Central City Lutheran Mission we leverage our resources to help save thousands of dollars on building costs. Wells Fargo’s volunteers have saved us thousands of dollars in labor by volunteering,” said Executive Director Julie Reay. In addition to the volunteer labor from Wells Fargo, that same day the project received donations of paint and primer from Vista Paint and Behr, labor and materials from Blake Roofing, lumber from Reliable Wholesale Lumber and materials and labor from Miken Construction.

Upon completion, the home will house 6-10 homeless men that will take part in social services to help them become independent overseen by Lutheran Social Services. The program will include job training skills in the area of food services, maintenance and security. The goal is to have the home completed and ready for the program to begin by June 30.