What’s New

PLEASE MARK YOU CALENDARS FOR
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2018 –
GIVE LOCAL SOLANO!! www.GiveLocalSolano.org
DIXON FAMILY SERVICES IS PARTICIPATING!
SOLANO COMMUNITY FOUDATION IS COORDINATING THE EVENT
FOR PARTICIPATING SOLANO COUNTY NON-PROFITS

Our goal is to raise $15,000 all in one glorious day! All pledges will be appreciated! Large and no matter how small, donations will all add up to help us meet our goal to keep helping people in need in our community. Reassure us that you still believe in the good work we do to improve people’s lives.
TODAY, in preparation, you can add Dixon Family Services to your list of Facebook pages. Go to https://www.facebook.com/dixonfamilyservices/

Like us at Dixon Family Services
PLEASE share with all your other Facebook friends about us too!!
On November 27 you can make a donation from your computer, phone or other devises. You can even think of it as a way to “ Say HELLO”, especially if it’s been a while since we’ve heard from you ☺
We also LOVE your comments and will put them on our “Testimonials” page of our newly re-structured website, with your approval
To learn more about Dixon Family Services and what we do you can go to www.dixonfamilyservices.org
You will be hearing more about Give Local Solano in coming days
We can’t wait to hear from you on Facebook!
THANK YOU FROM EVERYONE AT DIXON FAMILY SERVICES!!!

Dear Community Members,                                                  September 2018

Our “COMMUNITY ALERT” letter that recently went out, explaining our current shortfall of funds, was answered with genuine concern and support for assisting Dixon Family Services (DFS) keep the doors open to serve families and individuals in need in Dixon.

Responses included contributions ranging from checks or credit card gifts in various denominations, to setting up delivery from Staples every 5 weeks of a case of paper towels for our dispensers in each of our 4 bathrooms.  Quote “Just our small way to help.  You (DFS) do so much for the community.”

Another donor set up an automatic withdrawal from their checking account of $50 every 3 months.  Quote “This way we will be contributing a total of $200 per year without feeling it or having to remember to send it.”

To save the cost of postage I have been calling, texting and emailing donors to express gratitude on behalf of everyone at DFS and the people we serve.  In case I have missed reaching you. . .  THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!! 

The donations we’ve received in recent weeks are all very helpful but –  

WE DO NEED MORE PEOPLE TO RESPOND WITH KINDNESS

Helping us can look many different ways, such as the examples above and those below.

If you send a financial contribution it will be used in the most critical area(s).  If you, as an individual, a business or club/organization prefer to sponsor a particular program, you can talk to me about that.  Many service organizations, churches and businesses over the years have “sponsored” programs and services that we offer at DFS.

As I shared in the recent letter, this fiscal year (2018/2019) we have the lowest amount of government funding coming into our organization’s budget than we have had in decades.  We need the support of our community now more than ever!

 

If you want to cover of one of our tangible needs, similarly to the paper towel donors, I have a list for the many items we use to operate our organization, such as:

Copy Paper = $330 per year, or 60 reams
Copy Machine Maintenance Agreement = $2,500 year
Toilet Paper = $555 per year, or 832 rolls
Sewer = $1,350
Garbage = $1,900
Water = $2,800
PG&E = $6,500
Pest Control = $720
Phone & Internet = $5,300
Insurances = $3,300

And here is the list of “Many Ways to Help” from our August letter:

• Write a check payable to DFS. Send or drop off to 155 North Second Street.
• Use your credit card or PayPal on our website dixonfamilyservices.org
• Sign up for automatic payroll deductions through your employer, United Way or other charitable giving programs.
• Sponsor or partially sponsor a particular program you have personal interest in. Perhaps a service that helped you or someone you know in the past.
• Sponsor one of our operating expenses for the year. Examples include utilities (electricity, water, sewer and garbage), office supplies, liability insurance, phone and internet service.
• Donate tangible items to us that we can use rather than having the expense of purchasing them with our lean budget. Examples include copy paper, toilet paper, cleaning supplies.
• Host a yard sale, bake sale, car wash, barbeque, or other ways to raise funds in the name of Dixon Family Services.
• Memorial contributions in the name of a loved one
• For future giving consider putting DFS in your will and estate plan

The services provided at Dixon Family Services are vital to a healthy community. 

When I am out and about talking with people in town, it is rare that I find someone who can say they have not sent someone they know, referred one of their family members or utilized one of the various DFS programs themselves at one time or another.  We help hundreds of people each year achieve goals such as increased financial stability, improved employment, improved nutrition, sobriety, emotional wellness, positive parenting and family cohesiveness.  Many of the people we help become active and contributing members of this community.

Please take a moment to think about what it would be like if DFS did not exist.  If you have been thinking about writing a check or of getting involved in any way, please make now the time to do it.  Right now is when we need your help the most.  We do not expect this lack of government funding to go on forever but in the interim we must count on your support, in as big or as small a way that you can.  Everything is appreciated!

I look forward to hearing from you soon.  Thank you in advance!

Sincerely,

Cookie Powell

P.S. We’re using purple paper today because it was donated!   J

COMMUNITY ALERT!!  DIXON FAMILY SERVICES

NEEDS YOUR HELP NOW MORE THAN EVER!!

Dear Friend,

Normally when I send out a letter from Dixon Family Services I would start by telling you many good things about Dixon Family Services that you may already know.  Those things will be mentioned later, but I want to get right to the point of this letter first.

This fiscal year (2018/2019) we have the lowest amount of government funding coming into our organization’s budget than we have had in decades.  Our usual funding “pie” consists of 1/3 government contracts, 1/3 non-government grants and sponsorships, and 1/3 donations and fund raising.  This year, so far, the government portion looks more like 1/16^th.

We plan to continue to serve our community, but in response to the lack of government support, we must look to the people in our community that can and do help us.  Those that do already, we ask that this year you dig deeper and increase your giving.  To those who have not donated before, please consider this the year that you begin. Individuals, families, businesses, organizations, churches, schools and others – We need the support of our community now more than ever!

There are many ways to help.

• Write a check payable to DFS. Send or drop off to 155 North Second Street.
• Use your credit card or PayPal on our website dixonfamilyservices.org
• Sign up for automatic payroll deductions through your employer, United Way or other charitable giving programs.
• Sponsor or partially sponsor a particular program you have personal interest in. Perhaps a service that helped you or someone you know in the past.
• Sponsor one of our operating expenses for the year. Examples include utilities (electricity, water, sewer and garbage), office supplies, liability insurance, phone and internet service.
• Donate tangible items to us that we can use rather than having the expense of purchasing them with our lean budget. Examples include copy paper, toilet paper, cleaning supplies.
• Host a yard sale, bake sale, car wash, barbeque, or other ways to raise funds in the name of Dixon Family Services.
• Memorial contributions in the name of a loved one
• For future giving consider putting DFS in your will and estate plan

Call or email me if you want to talk more about any option.

707 678-0442, cookie@dixonfamilyservices.org

I will call and personally thank you, but let us thank you now in advance for your consideration of this request at this time when we are in need of your help, so that we can continue to keep our doors open and continue to help the people who need us in Dixon.

And thank you for recognizing that our services are vital to a healthy community.

Sincerely,

Cookie Powell, on behalf of everyone at DFS and the people in this community that we serve

 

-For your tax records our tax ID number is 68-0041829-

I promised you the information about us that may help you decide to give to our organization.

Our services are vital to a healthy community.

Dixon Family Services (DFS) has been in the business of helping people struggling with one or more issues since 1984.  We are a community-based non-profit social services organization helping hundreds of people each year achieve goals such as employment, financial stability, improved nutrition, sobriety, emotional wellness, positive parenting skills and family cohesiveness.

Many of the people we have helped had nowhere else to turn when facing a life altering situation, but found the support and encouragement they needed from a caring and dedicated staff at Dixon Family Services.  Many are now productive, active and contributing members of our community.

We also are a co-location for many other providers of services. 

If the Dixon Family Services building didn’t exist there is a long list of providers that would not be here in Dixon on a regular basis for the convenience of Dixon residents.  The current list of those using offices in our building includes Cal Works, Cal Fresh (food stamps), Section 8 (subsidized housing), Covered California and Medi-Cal (health insurance for those with low-income), Legal Services of Northern California (legal advice and service to those who are having employment, landlord/tenant and other legal issues), EITC Program (free income tax preparation) and the Solano Food Bank Free Produce truck parks in our parking lot two days monthly to give two large bags of nutritious fresh produce to people in Dixon.

We are excited to announce that in September the Domestic Violence organization SafeQuest Solano will also be in our building four days a week to serve those who have suffered domestic violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking, dating violence, stalking and elder abuse.  So, you can see that in addition to the behavioral health and basic needs services provided by our organization (Dixon Family Services), our building is also a one-stop-shop of services from a broad collection of programs that can also help people in our community.

In January the DFS Thrift Store closed so we no longer have the need for volunteers for that program.

At Dixon Family Services we currently have a limited staff and we do not have a Volunteer Coordinator to schedule, orient and supervise volunteers at this time.  If this changes we will let the community know through email blast, our website, Facebook and in the press.

We do occasionally have a need for volunteer groups from time to time to perform a one day or half day project.  In those instances we usually reach out via Facebook or in press releases.

For many years DFS has helped people find a place to volunteer.  We continue to do so with our list of volunteer opportunities, however at this time we do not have volunteer openings for placement here at DFS.

On the Dixon Family Services web page “Services-Programs” there is a link to a list of Volunteer Opportunities in our area.