CITY OF FRESNO
___________________________________________ __________________________________________ JERRY P. DYER, Honorable Mayor TYLER MAXWELL, Council President
____________________________________________ __________________________________________ ANNALISA PEREA, Council Vice President MIKE KARBASSI, Councilmember, District 2
____________________________________________ ______________________________________ ____ MIGUEL ARIAS, Councilmember, District 3 LUIS CHAVEZ, Councilmember, District 5
____________________________________________ __________________________________________ GARRY BREDEFELD, Councilmember, District 6 NELSON ESPARZA, Councilmember, District 7
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Hereby Recognizes:
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WHEREAS, Since 1973, the Poverello House has been one of the leading organizations in providing important services for the hungry, unhoused, and destitute in the Fresno area. Such services include:
three hot meals every day of the year, emergency shelter for individuals and families, and support services like showers, laundry, and clothing. Additionally, the Poverello House offers a six-month to one-year rehabilitation program for men and mental health services for any client who requests their services. Navigation and case management are also available at the Poverello House, where these services are provided to anyone in need, no questions asked; and
WHEREAS, Founder Mike McGarvin established the Poverello House in Fresno after he and his wife, Mary, moved from San Francisco, where he himself had experienced hardship, violence, substance abuse, and despair in the 1960s. Inspired by a place he found in San Francisco called “Poverello,” which was where his experience as a volunteer there moved him to serve others, Mr. McGarvin found his mission in life after witnessing the needs of the unhoused in Fresno; and
WHEREAS, Mr. McGarvin’s work started out small; he would go out to the unhoused and hand out peanut butter sandwiches, talk to people, and let them know someone cared about them. Mr. McGarvin’s small ministry soon grew, and others began to join and help. A storefront building was obtained, and he named it after the place that had saved him in San Francisco: Poverello House. In the 1990s, it expanded to a larger building at its current location on 412 F Street, which allowed it to broaden its services to meet the needs of the community; and
WHEREAS, Over the last half century, the organization has been devoted to serving the needy, living up to its mission, “Believing in the dignity of every person, at Poverello House we work to enrich the lives and spirits of all who pass our way by stewarding the resources made available to us through providential and community support.” In recognition of its fiftieth anniversary, the Poverello House is deserving of special public honors and commendations for its important work to the Fresno area.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, Mayor Jerry P. Dyer, and the Fresno City Council, do hereby proclaim November 2, 2023 as:
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in the City of Fresno
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we have hereunto set our hands and affixed the Great Seal of the City of Fresno, California, this second day of November of the Year Two Thousand and Twenty-Three.