For many years, LEAP has hosted a monthly Healthy Food and Wellness Fair. In order to best meet the needs of our clients, we made the difficult decision to end our monthly public food distribution and instead expand our emergency food pantry. Families will be able to come directly to our Family Resource Center offices and pick up food.

LEAP has a strong history of adapting our services to meet the community’s changing needs. During COVID, we also shifted away from public food distributions and began distributing food weekly. We don’t know what the next year will look like for LEAP or for our clients. We don’t know how much this operational change will cost, nor how much demand we will see. What we do know is that LEAP is committed to being flexible and resilient to care for the most vulnerable families in our community. I hope you’ll partner with us.

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Last week at our first Spanish-language mental wellness workshop, Dr. Gina Vanegas asked participants to share what brought them there. The Zoom filled with stories of anxiety, parenting challenges, and workplace stress. What struck me most wasn’t just the depth of need – it was the collective sigh of relief as people realized they weren’t alone. In that moment of connection, I saw LEAP’s mission in action – meeting our community exactly where they are, especially during times of uncertainty.

May is both Mental Health Awareness Month and Teacher Appreciation Month. I hope you will join me in acknowledging the wonderful teachers in your life and in being sensitive to the tremendous mental health challenges so many of us are facing. Thank you for supporting LEAP’s vital, adaptive work. Together, we’re helping our community navigate challenging times with compassion and care.

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Some moments require celebration, and this is one of them. On March 17, our new Lompoc LEAP Children’s Center opened its doors to students. I visited our Lompoc center last week. It was nap time. As I quietly tiptoed into the baby classroom, one student was up and playing. He gazed up at me with a big smile. It was a joy to meet the many new teachers we have hired to work in Lompoc. “My commute to work is less than seven minutes,” one new staff member said with delight.

In addition to the excitement of opening our Lompoc Children’s Center, we also celebrated the 6th Annual LEAP Awards! Read more about our recent accomplishments and the exciting new opportunities we are offering to support our community.

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LEAP has vital work to do, caring for our community. So many of our clients and our employees are immigrants. They feel afraid and anxious. That fear impacts the well-being of the children in our care. It is clear that as an organization, our job is to provide accurate and timely information to our employees and families. We are fortunate to partner with so many great organizations in Santa Barbara County who are disseminating good information. Our job is to get that information the last mile, all the way to our busy families.

Learn about our upcoming Immigration Webinar, parenting classes, and valuable resources on childhood stress management. Don’t miss our annual LEAP Awards virtual celebration on March 13th, and discover how our partnership with Mar Monte Hotel is making a difference through bike donations and an ongoing diaper drive to support our local families.

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Recently at our Lompoc Children’s Center ribbon cutting, I watched the faces in the crowd – longtime supporters, new community members, elected officials, and dedicated staff. In that moment, I saw what resilience really looks like. It’s not just about being strong individually; it’s about the web of relationships we weave together, holding our community strong.

On December 5th, we held the ribbon cutting for our brand-new child care center in Trinity Church of the Nazarene in Lompoc. Thank you to Travis Caldeira, State Senator Monique Limón, Joan Hartmann, Jeremy Ball, and Esmeralda Estrada for helping us celebrate.

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Uncertainty is stressful for everyone, adults and children alike. LEAP’s role is to ensure that our children and our families have a safe and trusted organization to support them, not only with childcare and social services, but also with their fears. Take care of yourself, and, please, be extra kind to those around you. You never know who needs a little extra kindness.

This month, we have announced the 2025 LEAP Awards, which will take place on March 13th, 2025. We are also accepting families onto our waitlist for our brand new Lompoc Children’s Center.

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