Sydnee Navarro was back at the HOPE Family Shelter.

The former Miss Manteca 2020 started up the Giving Tree Project about nine years ago to provide gift wishes to local homeless families in the Raymus House shelter for the holiday.

Her non-profit endeavor carries on thanks to her family – included are parents Jae and Jane, and brother Connor.

This year, the Navarro family provided gifts and presents for 21 families. “That equaled 75 individuals,” said HOPE Ministries, Inc. CEO Cecily Ballungay on Thursday.

She added, praising the Navarro family: “We are beyond blessed for this invaluable contribution.”

HOPE Ministries is a faith-based organization dedicated to providing shelter and services to homeless and low-income families – the hope here is to cultivate self-respect, self-reliance, and spiritual direction.

The Raymus House, in 1993, started as a nursing home, and was a donation by the Antone and Marie Raymus Foundation for the purpose of serving the homeless women and children.

Not too long ago, the newest edition, Building Hope, was part of the state-of-the-arts renovation made possible by Kaiser Foundation  grant.

 While the shelter have a number of organizations and churches that adopted families for Christmas, HOPE Executive Director Cecily Ballungay is hoping others may be inspired this holiday season to help the non-profit have a White Christmas.

The premise of a White Christmas is simple.

They ask those who want to help to provide  “white” items families they help need year round.

It includes white items such as paper towels, toilet paper, tooth brushes, towels, pillows, linen, pillow cases, socks, toothpaste, notebook paper for school projects and such.

White items that HOPE can use in teaching families life skills and money management as well as to create resumes such as printer paper also are appreciated.

Items such as deodorant, personal hygiene items and such are also accepted even if they are not white.

It is the White Christmas theme, however, that has encouraged people to spend a couple extra dollars when they are at a store to help struggling families..

The non-profit that assists an average of 75 families year encompassing 225 individuals with 60 percent of them children.

Each family when they leave HOPE are given towels that they use so they don’t have that expense to worry about.

Every second or third family will leave with bedsheets and such as HOPE only uses such items for several different families.

Given the non-profit operates almost exclusively on grants and donations, monetary contributions are always accepted.

It is especially true this year when technical glitches during the annual Evening of Hope fundraiser in November reduced the usual donations of $20,000 or more they typically receive to just $5,000.

The organization needs to come up with $15,000 to plug a hole that will create in their budget.

More information is available at hopefamilyhelters.org or call 209-824-0658.