FMCI Safe and Strong Neighborhoods
FMCI envisions self-organized community members and families that know and trust each other and trained leaders who proactively advocate for building community assets to create a thriving environment for youth and families. To this end, FMCI provides community resources and services that facilitate asset building in the form of fostering safe and productive relationships with community members and creating the physical space to foster this engagement.
Key ProgrammingFood Security - Second Harvest Food Bank
With a vision for a hunger-free community, the Second Harvest Food Bank, in partnership with the Franklin McKinley School District we provide free groceries at Santee Elementary.
Santee Elementary Food Distribution:
Thursdays - 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Food Security - Loaves and Fishes (A La Carte)
Loaves and Fishes is an active participant in the food recovery movement; they have become the largest prepared-food distribution program in the Bay Area. In partnership with Loaves and Fishes, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County organizes a weekly meal distribution program at four Family Resource Center locations in the Franklin-Mckinley School District.
In this program, refrigerated trucks recover and re-distribute prepared meals at no cost to neighborhoods. Through this program, collaboratively, we are helping to combat food insecurity, increase hunger relief, and reduce waste.
SJPD Meet and Greet
Every spring, FMCI and the San Jose Police Department partner to offer a community meet and greet. Santee residents, government agencies, and community-based organizations come together to share resources, ask questions about services provided, voice concerns, and develop relationships. The event is intended to cultivate more positive relationships between law enforcement and the community.
National Night Out
National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.
FMCI partners with the McLaughlin Area Tenant Association to host a safe and fun neighborhood event for everyone in the community.
Older Adult Services
According to an analysis of census data from 1971-2021, the number of people living in multigenerational family households quadrupled during that time period, reaching 59.7 million in March 2021. The share more than doubled as well, to 18% of the U.S. population.
This increase in multigenerational living has been fed by social forces that include the rapid growth of the U.S. Asian and Hispanic populations, who, along with Black Americans, are each more likely than White Americans to live with extended family, especially if they are immigrants (Pew Research Center, 2022).
A quarter of adults in multigenerational households say caregiving actually occurs in their homes, either in the form of personal care for another adult in the household or care for a child younger than 18 who is not the caregiver’s own child. Those with lower (30%) and middle (24%) incomes are more likely than those with upper incomes (15%) to say caregiving is occurring in their household. Among adults living with a parent age 65 and older, 23% say they personally provide care for another adult in the household at least sometimes, compared with 8% of those living with a parent younger than 65.
Participants of multigenerational households can build social capital through participation in the community and social networks and by making connections with family, friends, and neighbors. As part of the three-generational approach, we integrate older adults in our community to share their natural skills and talents.
Currently, we offer the following programs and services to older adults in our community:
Senior Cooking Classes are offered in partnerships with Veggielution, Community Bridge, and Educare. Our classes teach the basics of preparing, cooking, healthy nutrition, and how to follow recipes. These classes are fun and exciting, sometimes offering different themes throughout the season which broaden cooking ability, and learn something healthy and new.
Physical inactivity is commonly observed among individuals aged 60+. Identified barriers to sedentary older adults beginning activity include low self-efficacy, pre-existing medical conditions, physical limitations, time constraints, and culture. Folklorico dance and Chair exercises are a great way to learn something new, have fun, and get fit. These are fun, interactive classes that are offered on a weekly basis.
Bingo can help seniors maintain hand-eye coordination even as reflexes and coordination generally decline with age. Monthly Bingo Nights not only provide seniors a safe space to interact with peers, but also address the isolation challenge associated with older age by providing engagement.
Crochet and Embroidery Classes - Seniors are given the monthly opportunity to work on projects like crochet and embroidery. Seniors continue to work on the project during their weekly meet-up and at home.
60+ Quinceañera Cafe - Seniors also meet every week for morning coffee, which gives them meaning to get ready and come from their homes to interact with friends and other older adults in the community.