Book of Dreams, 2023: From bike to dogs, stoves to sinks, here are our 10 stories

Since Thanksgiving, our staff has produced stories about 10 nonprofit organizations seeking help during this holiday season.

In response, readers of the Book of Dreams have opened their hearts and given generously. We work with the Sacramento Region Community Foundation to process and distribute that money so these organizations and others can continue their missions of serving the needy.

You can still give by going to www.sacbee.com/entertainment/living/helping-others/book-of-dreams/

Here are brief descriptions of the 10 groups that were profiled during the past four weeks:

Mercy San Juan Hospital: MamaRoos

The hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is seeking $2,155 to purchase eight MamaRoo baby swings that mimic the rocking behavior of parents. The “lifesaver” swings help supplement care for all of the unit’s preterm babies, and are especially valuable for babies born with opioid exposure.

A newborn named Casey sleeps in a Mama Roos sleeper at the neonatal unit at Mercy Hospital in Citrus Heights on Nov. 22. The NICU at Mercy Hospital is asking Book of Dreams for more of the multimotion baby swings to provide comfort to newborns. José Luis Villegas/Special to The Bee
A newborn named Casey sleeps in a Mama Roos sleeper at the neonatal unit at Mercy Hospital in Citrus Heights on Nov. 22. The NICU at Mercy Hospital is asking Book of Dreams for more of the multimotion baby swings to provide comfort to newborns. José Luis Villegas/Special to The Bee

Loaves & Fishes: New stoves

Loaves & Fishes serves about 500 meals a day to Sacramento’s unhoused community and its 25-year-old stoves can’t keep up with the demand. They are often sputtering out and needing repair. The group, now 40 years old, is seeking $5,000 for six new stove/burner units.

Chef Edwin Burton of Loaves & Fishes, left, looks on as volunteer Ja’net Blea cooks on one of the stoves that is working on Wednesday, Nov. 15. The Sacramento nonprofit dedicated to feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless is asking for new stoves. Renée C. Byer/rbyer@sacbee.com
Chef Edwin Burton of Loaves & Fishes, left, looks on as volunteer Ja’net Blea cooks on one of the stoves that is working on Wednesday, Nov. 15. The Sacramento nonprofit dedicated to feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless is asking for new stoves. Renée C. Byer/[email protected]

Habitat for Humanity: Home repairs for veterans

Habitat for Humanity is asking for $13,185 for its program that helps veterans make vitally needed home repairs or upgrades, such as new roofs and new heating and air conditioning systems. It’s a ”hand up” program with recipients chipping in some of their own money and labor.

Vietnam veteran Rick Sanchez holds his dog Joey in their backyard in south Sacramento on Dec. 8. Habitat for Humanity helped him with fencing, landscaping, a new overhang and painted his home. The organization is asking Book of Dreams readers to support its program that helps needy veterans with home upgrades and repairs. José Luis Villegas/Special to The Bee

Elk Grove Food Bank: Mobile cooking classes

Elk Grove Food Bank Services needs $7,500 to help resume mobile cooking classes for seniors. The organization provides food for more than 16,000 people each month, up from about 5,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan is to supplement the food distribution with instruction on preparing unfamiliar items, including seasonal produce.

Arbor Creek Family Apartments resident Miriam Cruz gathers groceries donated by the Elk Grove Food Bank Services on Nov. 21. The organization asks Book of Dreams readers for donations to resume their mobile cooking classes for seniors. Scott Lorenzo
Arbor Creek Family Apartments resident Miriam Cruz gathers groceries donated by the Elk Grove Food Bank Services on Nov. 21. The organization asks Book of Dreams readers for donations to resume their mobile cooking classes for seniors. Scott Lorenzo

Stanford Sierra: Mentors for foster kids

Stanford Sierra Youth & Families is asking for $5,000 to aid its Wonder program, which matches past and current foster kids with caring mentors. Many of the children have faced hardships in their lives and Wonder connects them with an adult who is there solely for them and helps them restore trust in others.

Cheryl Enders, a volunteer with Stanford Sierra’s mentoring program called Wonder, stands with Ryan in Rancho Cordova on Nov. 21, who she’s been mentoring for four years. Stanford Sierra Youth & Families is asking for $5,000 to support its Wonder program that matches volunteers one-on-one with kids who have been in foster care. José Luis Villegas/Special to The Bee

Food Literacy Center: Recipe kits

The Food Literacy Center is seeking $4,500 to provide recipe and food takeout kits to help kids learn the value of good nutrition. The 12-year-old center shows students in low-income elementary schools how good nutrition, gardening and active play can improve their health and their environment.

Amber Stott, left, founder of the Food Literacy Center, stands with volunteer Donovan Hall-Ramsey, 9, to hand out 50 food kits and recipes at John Sloat Elementary School earlier this month for kids to take home and cook. The Food Literacy Center Kitchen is asking Book of Dreams for $4,500 for supplies to help the program. José Luis Villegas/Special to The Bee

Central California Lab Rescue: Pay the vet bills

Central California Labrador Retriever Rescue is asking for $7,500 to help with veterinary bills for the dogs it rescues from animal shelters. The all-volunteer group last year spent nearly $55,000 to rescue, care for and re-home 175 dogs, with the large majority of those costs going to vet services.

Rescued dogs Jack, left, Greer, and Cotton hang out with volunteers of the Central California Labrador Retriever Rescue on Nov. 22. The all-volunteer group is asking Book of Dreams for donations to care for and rehome their abandoned canines. José Luis Villegas/Special to The Bee
Rescued dogs Jack, left, Greer, and Cotton hang out with volunteers of the Central California Labrador Retriever Rescue on Nov. 22. The all-volunteer group is asking Book of Dreams for donations to care for and rehome their abandoned canines. José Luis Villegas/Special to The Bee

Boys 4 Bikes: Bikes for fun and necessity

Boys 4 Bikes was started by a group of third graders a decade ago and the same young men are still at it, having donated more than 500 bicycles over the years. They are seeking $5,000 to continue their mission of donating bicycles to foster kids and other needy youth in the Sacramento area. A significant number of bikes go to older youths who need them either to go to school or to a job.

Owen Wilber, 17, left, Rowan Diepenbrock, 19, Riley Domine, 17, and Winston Holtkamp, 17, right, of Boys 4 Bikes stand with Jeff Dzurinko of the Sutterville Bicycle Company, rear, to pick up 40 bikes Friday, Dec. 8. They started Boys 4 Bikes when they were in elementary school, raising money to buy bikes to be distributed to underprivileged youth. They’re asking readers of Book of Dreams for $5,000 to help continue their mission. José Luis Villegas/Special to The Bee

916 Ink: Reading help

About $3,000 is being sought by 916 Ink to buy materials and create spaces for its literacy tutoring program. The organization started 12 years ago as a creative writing program but has evolved into what is essentially an intervention effort aimed at helping first through fifth graders who are falling behind in reading.

Jessica Seibold with the Read On! a literacy tutoring program of 916 Ink, works with F.C. Joyce Elementary School fifth grader, Yousuf Ghafari, on Nov. 15. 916 Ink is asking Book of Dreams readers for donations to expand its literacy tutoring programs. Scott Lorenzo/Special to the Bee
Jessica Seibold with the Read On! a literacy tutoring program of 916 Ink, works with F.C. Joyce Elementary School fifth grader, Yousuf Ghafari, on Nov. 15. 916 Ink is asking Book of Dreams readers for donations to expand its literacy tutoring programs. Scott Lorenzo/Special to the Bee

Stanford Settlement: Stainless steel sink

The Stanford Settlement is a social hub that provides a meeting place and daily lunches for about 100 seniors. The group is seeking $7,500 for a stainless steel heavy-duty sink, a reconfiguration of the kitchen space to accommodate it and a professional deep clean for the floors of the center.

José Ortiz, 102, sits at the Stanford Settlement Neighborhood Senior Center on Nov. 17. About 50 seniors are served a continental breakfast and a hot lunch every day at the center. The existing sink is not adequate for its current use and they’re asking Book of Dreams for a new sink as well as professional cleaning of the floors. José Luis Villegas/Special to The Bee

Donate now

To claim a tax deduction for 2023, donations must be postmarked by Dec. 31, 2023. All contributions are tax-deductible and none of the money received will be spent on administrative costs. Partial contributions are welcome on any item. In cases where more money is received than requested for a given need, the excess will be applied to meeting unfulfilled needs in this Book of Dreams. Funds donated in excess of needs listed in this book will fulfill wishes received but not published and will be donated to social service agencies benefiting children at risk. The Sacramento Bee has verified the accuracy of the facts in each of these cases and we believe them to be bona fide cases of need. However, The Bee makes no claim, implied or otherwise, concerning their validity beyond the statement of these facts.