An organization steps up to give All-In Monterey County the help it needs.

Erik Chalhoub here. I’ve written many stories about people and organizations who have turned to the community for help—whether they are looking for volunteers who are just as passionate about their cause as they are, or are in need of financial assistance to stay afloat. Journalism is a powerful platform to raise awareness on a broad scale, one that just might reach the right person who is inspired to help out.

In May, I wrote about All-In Monterey County, a small, four-year-old organization that helps distribute food, clothing and more to thousands of residents every month. The organization could no longer afford its warehouse at 555 Broadway Ave. in Seaside and reached out to the public for its support.

I recently learned that those calls were heeded.

Mount Shasta-based nonprofit Unified Caring Association stepped in to pay All-In’s rent for the next two years, says All-In Executive Director Tanya Kosta.

Kosta says she was participating in a meeting about how to support homeless teenagers over the summer with groceries, when she described to the group about the work All-In does and the challenges it is facing, such as the rent in Seaside.

A follow-up meeting was held shortly after, in which Kosta expected the group was going to hammer out the logistics of distributing food to the teens. Instead, she got a surprise.

“[Unified Caring Association] just said, ‘We want to pay your rent,’” Kosta recalls. “I immediately cried.”

Kosta says All-In has had a difficult time securing grants because its mission doesn’t serve a specific demographic—it just helps people.

“If you’re human, we’re going to help you,” she says. “There are no barriers, no questions asked.”

All-In provides frequent distributions of food and necessities at Marina High School thanks to a partnership with the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District. The Food Bank for Monterey County delivers food to the organization every week, while English Ales Brewery in Marina allows them to store perishable items in their refrigerators.

“Without those partners, the good things All-In does would not exist,” Kosta says.

All-In still must pay for electricity, water and the supplies it provides, meaning it needs to raise $2,000-$3,000 a month. It is organizing various “fun-raisers,” as Kosta puts it, such as a bingo event on Saturday, July 13, and has partnered with Concorso Italiano and Legends of the Autobahn for the upcoming Car Week to provide benefit volunteer opportunities (with Kosta encouraging other nonprofits to consider).

To learn about upcoming All-In events and to help out, find them on Facebook.

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