Helping Our Neighbors in a Season of Record Need

The 2025 holiday season is feeling different to me—and I’m guessing I am not alone. It’s been an incredibly challenging year for our communities. The recent government shutdown, the high costs of housing and food, and cutbacks in federal funding for health care, social services, and other urgent needs are pushing already vulnerable communities to the edge. In this season of thanks and reflection, I am more thankful than ever for the bold work of so many nonprofits that are stepping in and offering a much-needed helping hand.

One of these nonprofits is the Season of Sharing Fund here in the San Francisco Bay Area. In the 39 years since it was created jointly by the Haas, Jr. Fund and the San Francisco Chronicle, Season of Sharing has distributed nearly $220 million to Bay Area residents and families staring down unexpected financial crises. In the spirit of the Season of Sharing tagline, “Neighbors helping neighbors,” the annual campaign raises funds from the community to disburse to a nine-county network of housing nonprofits and food banks offering life-changing support when it is needed most.

Recently, I checked in with Kevin Swanson, executive director at the Season of Sharing Fund, about the issues and challenges he and his team are seeing right now across the Bay Area. Kevin shared a surprising data point that one in five of our Bay Area neighbors has less than $400 in savings to navigate financial emergencies like a lost job or an unexpected medical issue. At a time when people are already struggling with rising rents and grocery bills, this puts them at huge risk of eviction, homelessness, and other crises.

“When you look beneath the surface, this is a very uncertain economy for people who are already living on the edge,” Kevin told me. “One unexpected financial hit can put a person or family in a downward spiral.”

The stories of people who have been helped by Season of Sharing bear out Kevin’s warning. A former preschool teacher suffers a debilitating injury and can’t afford to move out of a hazardous home. A retired woman needs to choose between cancer treatments and paying rent to stay housed. A Vietnam veteran loses his rent money to swindlers and faces eviction. In each of these cases—and many more—Season of Sharing stepped in to help people pay their bills, stay in their homes, and avoid a lasting crisis. In a recent survey, 93% of Season of Sharing clients said they remained housed 18 months after receiving support from the campaign.

Of course, the Season of Sharing Fund is just one example of a nonprofit doing amazing work helping people in need—and at a time when the need is sky high. Wherever you live, there are food banks and health and social service nonprofits that are doing vital work and need additional support to help people weather today’s turbulent storms.

In this season when we reflect on the year gone by—what we are thankful for, how we can be and do better, and where we can focus our energies in the year to come—let’s keep the urgent, day-to-day needs of the people and families around us front and center in our minds. And no matter where we call home, we all have a role to play in supporting our local nonprofits so they can continue showing up for our communities.

You can find out more about the Season of Sharing Fund here. Its annual fundraising campaign just launched. And because Haas Jr. and the San Francisco Chronicle cover the administrative costs of operating Season of Sharing, 100% of your donation goes to keep Bay Area residents housed, nourished, and fed.

This holiday season and in the months ahead, let’s make every season a season of sharing. Together, I hope we can show that when times are tough, our generosity and care for our neighbors remain strong.

Thank you for your partnership ... and happy holidays from all of us at the Haas, Jr. Fund.