The Wells Fargo Foundation this month donated $600,000 to L.A. affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization nonprofits, including two in the Valley. The charity pledged $50,000 each to Pacoima Beautiful, an organization that promotes sustainable green living through education and culture programs, and Union Rescue Mission, which provides transitional housing and employment services to homeless mothers at its Hope Gardens Family Center in Sylmar. Pacoima Beautiful will use the money to plant edible gardens along residential sidewalks. These gardens will produce herbs and produce for the Mercado-Pacoima Farmers Market. The donation will also cover storm water landscaping and installation of a solar-powered irrigation system. At Union Rescue Mission, a portion of the grant will fund a 20-week financial management training program for the residents of Hope Gardens. Another portion will match residents’ savings funds upon their graduation from the program. And a third portion will help stand up a thrift store boutique in Sylmar, which will serve as both a job creation and training tool for homeless mothers and another revenue source for the nonprofit. These grants come as part of Wells Fargo Foundation’s NeighborhoodLIFT program, established in 2012 as a nationwide effort to boost local homeownership and help connect low-income populations to affordable housing options. “Increasing access to safe, affordable places to live … it’s a dire need. We think it’s smart to be good corporate citizens and make that one of the key focus areas for our foundation,” said Robin Choi, Wells Fargo’s regional bank president overseeing the San Fernando Valley.
