Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Neighbors Helping Neighbors Project:

The need up here is enormous, and if we’re going to make a real difference, we have to think big and act together.

Here are the directions I believe we need to move in:

  • County involvement: We need social workers up here—on the mountain—helping people sign up for services instead of expecting vulnerable folks to navigate impossible systems alone.

  • Community outreach: We need to engage local churches and volunteers who are willing to go door to door, meet people where they are, and help identify needs directly.

  • Basic survival needs: Too many of our neighbors are living without reliable heat or hot water. We need to identify programs that can help repair, install, or restore these essentials.

  • Food access: We should plug into existing programs like Meals on Wheels and expand food delivery options for those who can’t travel.

The Mountain Bears Democratic Club is holding a strategy meeting this Tuesday, February 3rd at 7:00 PM at The Spade and Spatula in Blue Jay. I’m really hoping people like you will come, join our Neighbors Helping Neighbors initiative, and help us build this project from the ground up.

If you’re not able to attend, email us at MountainBearDemSecretary@gmail.com and I'll make sure you receive the game plan once it’s established. There will be plenty of ways to help.

Thank you for your kind heart and your willingness to step up for our neighbors.

Sincerely,

Holiday Heller

MBDC President

MAC Meeting

Ask our local government what they are doing for our neighbors in need.

Crest Forest Municipal Advisory Council
Even numbered months (Feb, April, June, Aug, Oct, Dec), First Tuesday, at 6:30 p.m.
24640 San Moritz Dr, Crestline, CA 92325
Did you know about the MAC meetings?
Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) is a citizen group that advises the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on matters affecting the Mountain community. It discusses local issues like road conditions, public safety, and community projects, and its members are appointed to provide input on public works, planning, and quality of life concerns. Meetings are held publicly and are open to residents who can attend to ask questions and share concerns.
Purpose: To act as an advisory body between the community and the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.
Function: It provides a platform for residents to voice their needs to the county supervisor’s representative and receive updates from public agencies.
Authority: As an advisory body, it does not have binding decision-making authority or fiscal power, but it can offer valuable advice and insights on local matters.

Crestline's Little Dirty Secret

Jessica............................................
I met Jessica through IHSS, a state program that pays caregivers to help vulnerable people in our community. The first time we met, she waited for me outside. Her hair was gray and so thin I could almost see through it. She was hunched over, fragile—but confident. She directed me to take her to the store.

Inside, it became clear she couldn’t walk the aisles. She sat in the Goodwin’s lounge area while I ran around grabbing what she needed, bringing items back for her approval. She was a strict vegan, and I had no idea what I was doing. We laughed a little.

When we got home, I offered to help put the groceries away. The outside of her house looked like a hundred unfinished projects and a lifetime of good intentions. A bucket of rotten food sat by the trash cans. My mind raced: maggots (I hate maggots), bears… and then the question I didn’t want to ask—what does the inside look like?

At the door, Jessica thanked me, took the groceries, turned around boldly and said, “Call me tomorrow,” and shut the door.

There is more to this story—blood, children, lawyers, and more maggots—but I’ll spare you the details. Within a week, Jessica was dead.

Buz......................................................
I met Buz through a friend who lived in the trailer park. He was a veteran, just a few doors down. We tried to get him signed up for IHSS. The red tape was unreal—forms, interviews, waiting, more forms. What we expect an elderly person with a flip phone to navigate is absurd. Even worse, a veteran on Social Security didn’t qualify.

So I found another way.

Buz hadn’t had a car in five years. He survived on food from the liquor store because that’s as far as he could walk. Over time, we became friends—playing cards, watching Bar Rescue (his favorite).

The first time I took him to Operation Provider, our incredible local food bank, we drove along Highway 18. The look on his face—astonishment, awe, relief—I realized he hadn’t been to the Rim in over five years. I watched a man rediscover freedom.

He used to be a biker, so I started putting the top down on my red convertible. Wind, sunshine, the good old days. My favorite part was driving back into the trailer park and seeing the looks on people’s faces as we cruised in together.

Steve....................................................................
Steve always sat outside his trailer with his dog. A gentle, kind man. I’d bring him leftover food Buz didn’t want, and his face would light up every time.

I asked if he wanted to go to Operation Provider. He said yes immediately—his car had been broken for years. As I got to know him, the truth came out: no heat for winter, no hot water to bathe, serious medical needs.

Another soul lost. Another neighbor forgotten.

This mountain is full of abandoned souls.
They need food. Heat. Medical care. Dignity.

They are hidden deep in the forest—or sitting right in front of us, in the trailer park behind the Post Office. You see them walking every day. And every day, they are ignored.

There are too many for me to save alone.

If you want to help, please email me:
MountainBearDemSecretary@gmail.com

—Holiday

Crestline's Dirty Ugly Secret II
The big illusion.....
When you see someone in a hole what do you do?  Shout down to them "Fill out this form and apply for help!"..."Hey here is a brochure on Meals on Wheels, you can get on the waiting list and maybe in six months they can deliver food to you in your hole!"...."Hey once a week I'll bring you a meal or throw you a book!"...."Hey next year my church serves a hot thanksgiving meal, drive on over."
WTF!  To really help someone you need to crawl down into the hole and physically lift them out!  Aid them with long term solutions not temporary band aids that really only make YOU feel good and go on your merry way.

This mountain is full of abandoned souls.
They need food. Heat. Medical care. Dignity.
They are hidden deep in the forest—or sitting right in front of us, in the trailer park or back in the woods. You see them walking every day. And every day, they are ignored. There are too many to save alone.

What is the community doing?
ALOT! They are the only ones stepping up.  All of the active programs up here are maxed out.  Our grocery stores, local businesses, churches, hospitals, Operation Provider, meals on wheels and clubs are doing their part but the need is overwhelming and growing.  Trump cuts to funding, grants pulled, cost of food and utilities out of control...the hole is just getting bigger.
Please join our Club by getting in the hole! Adopt a person in need and lift them up.  Help them get into programs, fix their heaters, call their family who has turned a blind eye....REAL SOLUTIONS!

 

Demand BETTER!
County, Elected Officials, Municipal agencies.  It's time to make a plea at the MAC meeting and ask for real help. Real help, boots on the ground help.  Direct help. All hands on deck help. The gas company knocking on doors to fix heaters and light water heaters.  The fire department making sure landlords are fixing safety and health issues. IHHS social workers devoted to our community helping folks sign up for programs. The police identifying the vulnerable. Let's look at where the $ for services for the community are going? Is it going to social gatherings for the rich?  Definitely not to the folks in the hole.

Please attend the next MAC meeting and ask our local government what they are doing for our neighbors in need.Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) is a citizen group that advises the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on matters affecting the Mountain community. It discusses local issues like road conditions, public safety, and community projects, and its members are appointed to provide input on public works, planning, and quality of life concerns. Meetings are held publicly and are open to residents who can attend to ask questions and share concerns.

WHY THE NEED

The cuts to CalFresh and the delays in benefits didn’t happen by accident. They are the result of choices made by Republican leaders, including Trump and Rep. Jay Obernolte.

Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act is anything but beautiful. It handed massive tax cuts to the wealthy while cutting CalFresh benefits for working families and those most in need across California, leaving many uncertain about how they'll put food on the table this holiday season. As if that weren't enough, the ongoing government shutdown is delaying November's food assistance for those who rely on it the most.

This isn't about scarcity, it's about choices. We demand that our leaders restore funding and strengthen our safety nets. Until then, we are making sure no neighbor goes hungry.

While they ignore the people they are supposed to serve, the Mountain Bears Democratic Club is stepping up to help our neighbors.

Crestline Antiques & More

This Holiday season Crestline Antiques and More was a neighbor helping neighbors! Jessica opened her shop to food and toy donations. We are grateful to have such wonderful people in our community looking out for each other.

Spade and Spatula ......Thankyou

There are so many people who made this food drive a huge success. From the volunteers who organized and delivered donations, to the small businesses that dedicated space for collecting them (@spadeandspatula and @crestline_antiques_n_more_ ).

To @lakearrowheadlgbtq for hosting a trivia night, and to our congressional candidates (@tessaforca and @paulforca23 ) who stopped by to speak with Operation Provider about the challenges they face as the largest food bank in our mountains, and with Chef Bev about the struggles small businesses face in our community.

This is what community looks like.

Spade & Spatula: spadespatula-cagastropub.com 27214 CA-189 Ste. G, Lake Arrowhead

What a morning! Thank you to everyone who donated and a special thank you to Bev at @spadeandspatula for hosting our food drive and joining us in supporting our community this holiday season.

As families, seniors, and veterans receive their CalFresh benefits, our food drive is helping fill the gaps and ensure everyone has what they need.

We collected 197 items today! Let’s keep the momentum going — we have one more week to go. Drop off your donations during regular business hours at @spadeandspatula and help make sure no mountain resident goes without.