Bay Area Rescue Mission provides real value through the services they offer to the community. I…read morepersonally referred someone there, and they were very helpful, especially in assisting a woman in her 80s. The staff showed patience, respect, and genuine care. It's reassuring to see an organization that truly follows through and supports people when they need it most.

Review is for volunteering experience:…read more This year, my work team decided to volunteer at the Richmond Bay Area Rescue Mission (BARM). I did not know much about BARM, other than they do offer meals to the needy and are a Christian-faith organization. We had no idea what we'll be helping with on the day of arrival. Our entire group of 12 or so did have to pass a COVID Antigen test before entering. Our event turned out to be kitchen duties, like you read about in Kitchen Confidential or from cooking reality shows. Everyone was super friendly, but you feel the adrenalin of working hard in a commercial kitchen. You work as a team and you work safely, since you got hot surfaces, sharp objects, boiling liquids and occasionally wet floor everywhere. My main task was dishwasher, which brings back memories of my first job. Scrape, Rinse, Sanitize and dry! Those high-powered Hobart washing machines make cleanup a snap. The feel of the nozzle is great as it blasts away all food scraps. Wish I had these at home! My next task was helping cutting up some 30-50 pounds of chicken breast for a marinade. The chef was planning to make some coconut-curry soup so he occasionally dumped Five-Spice and Chili Sauce as we cut. Those Dexter Chef Knifes were super sharp and the blade was something like 10" to 12" long, like a short sword. I thought my home 6" Henckels Chef Knife was sharp but those Dexter knives were on a different level. At the end, I can show my blisters proudly. My other colleagues served food to customers, cooked, diced vegetables, cracked dozens of eggs, unloaded a delivery truck, and moved things to the freezers. They got some high-quality produce here from Costco, Sprouts, and Trader Joes, and some of it organic! Highly recommend considering BARM if you're interested in volunteering some time. Being in a commercial kitchen was also fun since you experience what its like to be part of the machine that cranks out food. Everyone had a role to play to make it possible to crank out 50-100 meals per shift.

Had a great experience at the CIL in the Ed Roberts Campus building, both emailing and calling the…read moreassistive tech team who helped me get a new chair and also find resources to repair my old chair as a backup. Thanks CIL!

This place is the best! We need more community gatherings like this…read more in Berkeley! Wishing ya'll the best

On August 1st, 2024, my uncle and aunt went to a food distribution site to collect food. Arriving…read moreearly, they placed a cart in line to hold their spot while they went elsewhere to get more food. When they returned, they found a woman had cut in line and was repeatedly pushing their cart aside. They tried to ignore her and resumed their place in line. However, the woman, for some unknown reason, seemed to think my uncle was in her way and shoved him with her hands, causing him to hit his head on a pot and fall to the ground, bleeding. He was unconscious by the time the ambulance arrived. We hope the food distribution site can identify this woman and help us seek justice. Please be cautious if you encounter her! The site itself is convenient, and the volunteers are wonderful, but some customers can be a problem.

It's a bit pointless when they force someone to choose food or no food because they open late and…read moredidn't tell anyone. Also be very careful product sits out in sun no proper refrigerator, got sick last time off some spoiled pre-packed jicama. Some health code violations going on. Very diff than Berkeley food pantry whom follows health code and food safety standards. Emery assistance are actually wasting food as a lot of the food is expired which means you either eat expired food and perhaps get sick or throw away. So on top of perishables sitting out in sun and previously expired your asking for a food borne illness They really need to go check out how berk food pantry does things.

The Berkeley Free Clinic is an American treasure. I have been going to dentist there for a long…read moretime. The room is clean, the staff is friendly, and the service is professional. I am truly grateful that BFC has stayed open all these many years to serve low income people in need. And it really is free, but I always make a donation to help keep them afloat!

They were really nice and helpful to my daughter. There is no parking, come prepared to pay or walk.read more

Rodent infestation alert!…read more Man I really wanted to like this place but read on. We stored our belongings here while we were between houses and traveling. All the usual stuff - furniture, clothes, workout equipment, etc. When we got back after 8 months to start moving out, there was a severe rat problem. Piles of poop and pee everywhere. A bunch of our stuff was damaged or destroyed. Furniture chewed up, wedding memorabilia destroyed, our baby bassinet full of poop and pee. They got in boxes of clean coffee mugs, ate the packing paper, and peed all over them. Not what I expected for $500 a month! Before you ask - no, there was no food or otherwise that would have attracted animals. They chewed through fabric and paper so apparently they eat anything. I went to the office and talked to the manager. He said there's nothing they could other than spraying some repellant. Mind you we weren't going to fully empty the unit for months. What am I going to do? Hire a moving company and find another spot? I told the manager that I've used other storage companies and never had a problem like this. He actually said: "all storage facilities have rodent issues". WTF! I emailed the company and the owner 3 times to give them an opportunity to make it right. They never responded. Don't take the chance. Find another place! (For clarity we stored feb 2024 to mar 2025)

I love to come here for the art shows. And each time I think I'm going to spend a wee little bit of…read moretime and spend hours. There is some interesting art installation, an experimental movie playing, or something. It's nice to see the community of artists who come through and support each other, and all of this in the great city of Richmond (no sarcasm implied). It's hidden and tucked away, but it's worth the effort to seek them out. In December, they are having a crafts and art sale and I can't wait to go! Last year, I left with some real gems and this year? Who knows, but I bet it'll be good.

I am on the autism spectrum and struggle with extreme anxiety that has made it difficult for me to…read morefunction in a work environment. I have been a client of RCEB since 2016. So far I am not especially satisfied with the services I have had. They did provide funding for me to have an employment coach, but due to issues that shall remain confidential, I am currently unemployed, and getting a job has been put on the backburner while I sort things out. I live on my own but my parents continue to support me financially. It's difficult for people in my situation to get help tailored to our needs. I am higher functioning than the majority of their clients are, but my anxiety has made obtaining and maintaining employment a challenge. The services they have told me about really don't sound like they would be of much use, as they are more for people who aren't able to care for themselves and struggle with basic life skills. Then there's the issue of them never seeming to have my current information on file, despite me giving them the information multiple times. A few years ago I changed my phone number. I gave them my new number, and in addition I changed the voicemail greeting for my old number to say that I was no longer taking calls at that number and to please call me at (XXX) XXX-XXXX. But for some reason my new number never made it into their system. They do have my email address, which hasn't changed, and I do periodically receive emails from them. The date of my annual case review came and went and I didn't hear anything from them, either via phone or email. Finally I called them to ask what was going on. It took several weeks for my case manager to get back to me. When they finally did, they told me that, because they hadn't heard from me in a while and were unable to reach me because my phone number had been deactivated, they closed my case. They told me they emailed me about it but I never received any emails. So I had to go through the process of reopening my case. Then about eight months ago I moved. I gave them my new address, and my case manager came to my house, both to assess my living situation and go over various stuff with me regarding the services they can provide. Since I'm not currently seeking employment, I didn't sign up for any services. My case manager said they would check in with me every three months, but several months went by and I didn't hear anything from them. Then a few days ago I received an email saying that they tried to send me a letter by mail so it was returned to them, and they scanned it and sent it to me in an email. When I looked at the address, I saw that it was my old address, where my parents are now living. They are my emergency contacts, so sending stuff to that address normally wouldn't be an issue since my parents would just give it to me. However, the reason why the letter was returned to them was that they misspelled the name of the street! The USPS didn't recognize the address, hence why the letter was returned. I don't think that this was the case manager's fault, since they visited me at my current address (not only that but they never visited me at where I was living before). So whoever is in charge of handling the information they have on file needs to make sure everything is up to date. I check my phone and my email on a regular basis throughout the day, so if they were to contact me, I would get the notification. Like a lot of other organizations, while they are coming from a good place, they are poorly managed, and as a result are difficult to work with.

Overall we have had a great experience with the regional center. However if you get assigned dr…read morePaul Fujita I would highly recommend asking for a different dr. He went to one of the worst medical schools in the country, and has extremely poor bed side manner. Having a child diagnosed with any disability is very hard and you need to have a dr who has compassion and sympathy. When we told our case manager about our disapproval she stated a lot of people have shared the same results. So please if you read this ask for a dr other than Paul fujita

Our 4-year-old attended several sessions at Albany Berkeley Soccer Club, including the winter…read moreindoor futsal program, which was great during the rainy season. Overall, the program can be good for kids to get introduced to soccer and teamwork. However, during the last few classes the coaching shifted toward more competitive play, which became overwhelming for my son at his age. He started crying during those portions of class, and after three sessions like that we decided it was best to take a break so he doesn't develop a negative association with the sport. The most frustrating part was trying to request a refund for the next session I had already registered him for. It was very difficult to reach anyone by phone (voicemail was full), and it took several emails and weeks to get a response. In the end, the only option offered was a refund minus a $50 administrative fee or a credit for a future session. While the program itself has some positives, the communication and refund process felt inflexible for families with very young children who may need more flexibility.

My daughter had so much fun with the first touch soccer academy! She turned four in the middle of…read moreour first season. The games they have to help with coordination are so much fun that she talks about them at home. The guy in charge and all the coaches are so nice and accommodating.

When I first moved to Albany, the Albany Chamber of Commerce was one of the first places I stopped…read more I was warmly welcomed, given a comprehensive lay of the land, and with some brochures in hand went happily on my way. I have subsequently stopped here over the years for an update on the Community pulse and to occasionally buy one of their cool Albany 94706 t-shirts. I'm originally from Iowa, and I can't get enough of a small town personal touch when I find it. But alas, all good things must come to an end. As of 6/1/2011, residents, businesses and out-of-town guests will no longer be able to walk into the Chamber office, at 1108 Solano, for answers to their questions. Interested parties will need to interface with a Chamber gone virtual, an experiment aimed to expand services and save money. The Chamber formed in 1935, and has had a presence on Solano for 50 years. I'm sure commercial life in Albany will move forward, but it's hard for me to have "High Tech" unless there's also some "High Touch".