Operation Elf is a Program sponsored by Caring Heroes (501(c)3) and ran by the West Bay Division of MDI (501(c)4).
The mission of Operation ELF (Everybody Loves Families) is to bring joy and delight to families in need, so that they know people care.
We locate low-income families and seniors and provide them with gifts, clothing, toys, and staples during the holiday season, so that they feel appreciated and valued.
Each year, we serve families, seniors, and youth shelters in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
Operation ELF Bay Area is a grassroots group of community-minded people from San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, and Contra Costa counties who care about families in the greater San Francisco Bay Area and want them to experience a happy holiday season filled with abundance and joy.
Operation ELF Bay Area is part of Caring Heroes, an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. Our Tax ID number is 86-3206214.
UP ON TOP provides after-school programs to children of low-income families in San Francisco, while preparing them to be successful in school, in the community, and in life.
Operation ELF provides the families in the program with much-needed holiday care packages with gifts, clothing, household items, and staples. Many of the children have never felt the delight of getting a holiday gift.
Bayview Senior Services operates programs in San Francisco that are open to all seniors and persons with disabilities, including three senior centers, nutritious meals, information/ referral, case management, adult day health care, money management, a senior ex-offender program, and housing advocacy.
Operation ELF works to provide seniors with care packages and provides much-needed clothing for senior ex-offenders, who are often unhoused, and without a family to care for them.
Unfortunately, Star Vista closed, so we are on the lookout for additional non-profits to partner with.
The Bay Area's high cost of living, combined with a lack of opportunity, means many families are barely getting by.
Parents often don't have money for holiday shopping. Sometimes it's a choice between food for meals or clothing, let alone a toy or school supplies!.
Every child deserves to know the joy of receiving!
We are not part of any large charity or institution. The whole operation got started when a neighbor wanted to help another neighbor. Originally, we just gathered donated toys and shared them with families in need.
When we saw the joy this brought, and saw the scale of the need, we decided to help on a larger scale. Now we fundraise year-round and recruit many more volunteers to help.
We are members of Mentor Discover Inspire in San Francisco and Team Torch in the Petaluma area, men's organizations dedicated to mentoring men to take on leadership roles in their lives. We also represent several other service-oriented groups of men and women volunteers. We have no religious or ideological affiliation.
We're still all volunteers, and we are always looking for more help!
We vet our supported families carefully to see that they qualify. We have worked with local charity and non-profit organizations to find families, such as Up On Top, Bayview Hunters Point Adult services and Glide Memorial Church, and Project Open Hand, to name a few.
To qualify for Operation ELF, families need to be in severe financial hardship and need basic supplies like clothing, food, toys, and small appliances. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of needy households, and we can't serve all the families who are recommended.
You can contact us directly at efcooke0121@gmail.com, or call 415-794-0420.