The mission of the Community Christian Service Agency, an ecumenical Christian agency, is “to provide emergency services to individuals and families in need in San Diego County, including food, clothing, and referrals, and where practicable, counseling to assist in their transition to self-reliance.”
CCSA was founded in 1972 by seven churches in the local ministerial association and obtained its nonprofit 501C-3 status in 1973. During 50 years of service, CCSA has grown to include 31 member churches in the Clairemont, Pacific Beach, La Jolla, and University City areas of San Diego. CCSA currently has three paid staff members and has utilized hundreds of volunteers to deliver its services. The agency is supported by its member churches, hundreds of individual donors, businesses, small grants, and various fundraising efforts.
The agency operates two service centers. The main site in Clairemont serves primarily low-income individuals and families, and the Pacific Beach Center focuses its services primarily on the needs and challenges of the growing population of the homeless. Each year, the agency has more than 25,000 service contacts with people coming in for food, clothing, and other basic necessities of life. CCSA is open to anyone in San Diego County that needs help. Combined, the two centers serve up to 2000 people each month with the Pacific Beach Center serving as many as 150 homeless singles per week.
For 50 years, the Community Christian Service Agency has been serving those in the San Diego community who lack the basic necessities of life. CCSA strives to deliver quality services to its clients at the lowest possible cost. A large volunteer workforce and substantial donations of food, clothing and supplies enable CCSA to keep CCSA to keep overhead low. These donations come from member churches, community groups, and businesses. More than 90% of the money donated to CCSA is spent on programs directly benefiting CCSA clients.
CCSA is an IRS-qualified nonprofit organization. All contributions are tax-deductible.
- Volunteer nurses provide health assessment, first aid, education, and referrals - Annual Christmas gift bags - Emergency food and clothing and referrals to other services on a walk-in basis
- Distribution of USDA Commodity Foods to about 1,000 persons each month -Annual Back to School program of backpacks with school supplies for students - Annual Christmas Adopt-a-Family and Christmas Meal baskets - Emergency food and clothing and referrals to other services on a walk-in basis
- Emergency food and clothing - Assistance with temporary housing and emergency shelter - Bus tokens for medical appointments or job interviews - Assistance in obtaining birth certificates and California ID cards (needed for employment or program entry) - Resource counseling and referrals to other service agencies
