Patch Picks: 5 Great Community Organizations

The Tri-Cities area may be made up of small to mid-size towns, but it is home to some of the area’s oldest and largest non-profit and community organizations. Here is a sampling of the many groups that are doing great work in our community:

• is a Decoto-based non-profit that, among its many services, holds for those in need and operates a community thrift store. It is the oldest non-profit social services organization in the Tri-City area. Since it was founded in 1974, Centro de Servicios has assisted more than 800 families and individuals every month. 
• The mission of is to hire hard-to-employ individuals and reintegrate them back into the workplace and community. Tri-CED has been providing job training, work experience and permanent jobs to community members since its founding in 1980 by Bert Perez, Frank Roesch, Richard Valle and other Union City residents. 
• Founded in 1963, the , a chapter of the International Association of Lions Club, is a volunteer group dedicated to serving our local community through a  multitude of service initiatives, including its renowned eyeglass collections. Union City Lions hold numerous fundraisers each year, with all funds collected benefiting local community services such as hearing aids for seniors; summer camps, reading help and scholarships for children and students; and vocational and life skills training and drug/alcohol abuse prevention programs for adults.
• Based in Fremont, LIFE ElderCare provides low to no-cost services to the senior citizens of the Fremont, Newark and Union City. This non-profit organization operates a number of programs, including the Meals on Wheels hot meal delivery program; VIP Rides, in which volunteers accompany seniors to the store or doctor’s appointments; and the Friendly Visitors program, where volunteers provide companionship to the area’s elderly.
• Named one of the best non-profits of its kind in the Bay Area by ranking website Great Nonprofits, the Family Emergency Shelter Coalition helps homeless families move toward self-sufficiency as well as offering homelessness prevention services. Based in Hayward, FESCO also serves Fremont, Newark and Union City, providing housing and food for nearly 100 families, or 300 individuals, every year.