People of Progress

Community Safety-Net. Community Resource. Community Catalyst!

Food Bank. Resource Center. Community Gardens & Orchard. Super-Sized Thrift Store. Information Resources.

Good will. Good work. Good progress.

POP! A nonprofit 501c3 serving Shasta County since 1973
Our mission is to strengthen individuals, families and our community with particular emphasis on issues affecting low income persons. People of Progress is unique to Shasta County and can make timely decisions to respond to emerging needs. All donations remain local.

Please scroll below for a list of our major funders...

Our Parking Lot Re-hab Starts Soon --
we'll remain open throughout construction!

This will be quite a project. All pavement will be removed, ground graded and then new pavement and a new fence will be installed. In a heavy rain, water sometimes comes right into the building so a new parking lot is a necessity. It will be to ADA standards. In addition, we have been plagued with occasional thefts where people have climbed or cut through our fence to steal items, break into our building and drain our truck's gas tank. So, like many businesses these days, we are having to bump up night time security measures and a sturdy fence will help. This project is funded by the federal CDBG capital funds.

Octuberfest with a Twist! OctoberFeast!

Our Annual Dinner & Silent Auction is held in, surprise, October!

Last year's event was a tremendous success!
Historically, our theme has revolved around potatoes as they are accessible to people of all incomes
and have sustained families in times of adversity. We've had a lot of fun through the years with potato decorating contests, potato salad contests, potato word jumbles, historical quizes and creative potato-inspired dinners. Hence the name, OcTUBERfest.
Last year's dinner was hosted by Growing Local. We decided to lift the potato parameter
and we served up 171 scrumptious dinners made with local food by four fabulous chefs:
Roque & Tif Carbajal, Sweetie’s Café & Catering
Guenn Johnsen-Gentry, Clementine Cooks
Christine Silver, Tapas Downtown

Some local food producers also helped by donated some of their harvest:
Good Work Farm, Shambani Organics, and Lazy 69 Ranch

Growing Local is a collaborative dedicated to forging partnerships and creating opportunities to increase local food production; connect consumers with their local food sources; improve nutrition and health; and reduce hunger. For more information about Growing Local or if you want to volunteer for events or be on a listserve for info and events you can email growinglocalshasta@gmail.com You can also go to www.healthyshasta.org where Growing Local events are posted and there you'll also find a list of local food, farms and ranches who sell to the public.

Who knows what form Octuberfest will take this year!

Free Local Nonprofit
Thrift Shop Treasure Map

Drop by POP or any of these local nonprofit thrift stores to pick up your free copy. The Treasure Map tells you exactly what organizations and programs you are supporting with your donations and your shopping dollars AND it includes hours of operations and donation information. These stores keep their overhead costs very low, keep 100% of your donations local and support local social service programs:

People of Progress (of course!), The Salvation Army, A Second Time Around, Second Helpings, The Attic, and All Saints Thrift Shop and in Anderson the Sacred Heart Thrift Store.

For more detailed information on our website about these shops, you can find it via the "Thrift Store" button on the left! Please share this information with your friends and colleagues so we can all continue to serve our community. Thank you!

Human Bean Evenings

Join with other Human Beans throughout Shasta County and beyond! Invite your friends to your house or your colleagues to the lunchroom and we'll provide the Human Bean soup mix along with a host packet filled with information on hunger and homelessness in our area, conversation catalysts and suggestions on what people can do to help reduce hunger in Shasta County. Contact us if you'd like to host a Human Bean friend-raising event!

We're Working to Expand Community Radio!

Click Here for More Information about KTHM

Currently, KTHM is broadcasting in Red Bluff but has a permit to expand up to Shasta County.
Please contact us if you are interested in helping the station grow or want to help produce programs.
This will be a community forum and a community showcase. There is a lot of work to do,
information to obtain, money to raise, grants to write, volunteers to sign-up and organize and train.
If you have skills you want to offer, please contact us!

Store and Food Bank and Resource Center Hours

POP! Super-Sized Thrift Store is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 to 5:00 and Saturdays from 10:00 to 2:00. Due to limited staff, we can accept store donations between 10 and 4:30 weekdays and until 1 on Saturdays. If these donation hours do not work for you or you have a larger volume than 3 or 4 boxes or bags, or something you are unsure that we are able to use, please give us a call! 243-3811 Thanks, we can be flexible and truly appreciate your support!!!!!!

Food Bank & Resource Center Hours: 10:00 - 1:00 Monday - Friday. Clothing assistance is from 10 to 11:00 Monday - Friday. Our Food Bank is also open Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons by appointment for people who cannot make it in during regular hours.
We assist with food, clothing, blankets, personal hygiene, diapers, voicemail, prescription assistance, bus passes, information/referrals, emergency-oriented casework, and one-on-one gameplans to help people move forward.

If you cannot arrive within program office hours, please call for assistance.

Our Programs

Each year, our food bank and resource center provides food for over 290,000 meals to more than 14,000 people who would have gone hungry otherwise. We also help in many other ways: information and advice over the phone and helping other agencies serve their individual clients or collaborating on ways to improve trends, services and better meet needs at the community level.

Hunger is a growing problem too many in our own community face. Seniors who are homeowners and can't afford to repair their roof; persons on an SSI disability income of $900 per month, mothers who go without lunch at work so their children have enough to eat; kids who arrive at school hungry; people working at low-wage jobs whose utility, food, fuel, and rent bills keep rising while wages are stagnant; and anyone who has been laid off and is trying to hold their household together with an unemployment check.
EACH HOUSEHOLD WHO SEEKS OUR HELP HAS THEIR OWN STORY, THEIR OWN SITUATION, THEIR OWN STRUGGLES AND MOST IMPORTANTLY -- THEIR OWN ABILITIES TO MOVE FORWARD. WE HELP THEM THROUGH THEIR IMMEDIATE EMERGENCY AND PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANTLY, HELP THEM WITH INFORMATION AND STRATEGIES AND EMERGENCY CASEWORK SO THEY CAN MOVE AHEAD.
We provide voicemail boxes to help people connect with employers, service providers and family. We also give away 10,000 clothing items, shoes, blankets, diapers, personal hygiene kits and 1,800 bus passes for essential appointments. Our services provide an essential community-based safety net for those most in need.

We are a member agency of the United Way of Shasta County. The United Way chooses to support agencies that provide outstanding, essential community services in an efficient manner and who conduct an annual independent audit.

Contact us for ways you can help! Here are some ideas:
Host a sock or blanket or penny or umbrella or coat or shampoo or laundry soap or canned food drive at your workplace, school, civic group or church. Bring in paper and plastic bags in good condition for our store.Bring in egg cartons for our food bank -- we have ongoing "egg donors" but never enough cartons! Attend an event and bring a friend.Donate camping gear, furniture, small appliances, shoes, underwear and clothing! Volunteer -- contact us on specific needs we have and skill you have!

POP is only able to help the community because individuals, businesses, churches
and foundations have helped us.
We'd like to thank our all our contributors and especially recognize the following for their larger funding contributions -- currently and in recent years!

Shasta Regional Community Foundation, Sierra Health Foundation, the Susan Gimbel Foundation, McConnell Foundation, Redding Rancheria Community Fund, United Way of Northern California, Bank of America Foundation, Silverado Mortgage, Scott Valley Bank, Cornerstone Bank, North Valley Bank, Pilgrim Congregational Church, First United Methodist Church, First Church of Christ Disciples of Christ, Temple Beth Israel, Unity of Redding, and Redding Unitarians.

We hope you find our web site useful. We often update and add new areas of information, so please come back to our website or e-mail us with any questions or suggestions you may have.

-- page update 1/20/2013