***NEW 15K STRETCH GOAL*** Help Us Restore Our Rainy-Day Fund and Expand Services

Project Description (**NEW 15K STRETCH GOAL**): 

(⭐ This week's service spotlight: our outreach team! Finish reading until the end to learn more)

Since 1989, the Suitcase Clinic has provided free, frontline healthcare and social services to underserved communities in Berkeley, and particularly people experiencing homelessness. We are a student-led humanitarian organization staffed by 100+ trained student volunteers, and work in collaboration with licensed medical and legal professionals. All donations are tax deductible (IRS EIN: 94-6090626 and Revenue Canada: 154146). 

Our services include professional medical care, haircutting, food security, and foot washing, which are often otherwise inaccessible to those we serve.

We are seeking $15,000 (stretch goal) to restore our depleted post-COVID rainy-day fund and expand services — ensuring we can consistently provide high-quality care to the 40–60 clients we see weekly at our three drop-in clinics, and the 75+ people we routinely reach through community outreach walks. We are crowdfunding because institutional funding restrictions (e.g., school grants) prevent us from purchasing essential clinic materials like nutritious meals and hygiene kits. All supplies are distributed directly to community members on a weekly basis.

"Through Suitcase, I genuinely feel like I am making a difference, and it brings me a lot of happiness" - Student Volunteer, Youth and LBGTQ+ Clinic

We have ample committed volunteers, reliable clinic spaces, and a longstanding, trusted name among the populations we serve. Our barrier to providing care is consistently financial. Last semester, we were forced to provide incomplete services and turn away clients — not because of any lack of committed volunteers, but because of financial limitations. For example, we ran out of lotion, towels, and socks at our footwashing station. We are going on community outreach walks with broken, three-wheeled wagons. Clients have requested support such as tarps for rainy weather, warm clothing, and Clipper cards to commute to clinics, but we have been unable to provide these because of financial constraints.

We are counting on support through this project to ensure we can continue providing essential resources this semester and in future ones, and to also expand our services to better meet community need. We would distribute all funds we raise to our three clinics and outreach team proportionately, based on the number of community members served:

The above rough distribution will hold up until $15K. After that, all additional funds will go toward strengthening our rainy-day fund and sustaining expanded services in future semesters. 

What your Donations Can Help Provide:

• $700 – Food provisions for all our community outreach walks for an entire semester
• $500 — Food provisions for all three clinics for an entire semester
• $200 — Haircutting and Foot-Washing supplies for all three clinics
• $50 — Sleeping Bag or Rain Jacket for a client
• $20 — Warm blanket for a client

"Suitcase is a congregation of the kindest souls who amidst their busy schedules and schoolwork come out each week to give their time to a wonderful community...you can visibly see the impact of the work being done." - Kathy, Student Caseworker @ General Clinic

By donating, you join us in our mission of advocacy and direct service with dignity—helping us meet expressed needs of our community with greater availability and consistency. We are deeply grateful for any contribution you might be able to provide, as your support directly determines the services we offer. Can we count on your help?

✉️ Contact info ✉️:

Email: suitcaseclinic1989@gmail.com (⭐ For inquiries about non-monetary donations (e.g., food, clothing), please email suitcaseclinic1989@gmail.com and CC suitcasefinance@gmail.com & mdevries.jd2029@berkeley.edu) 

Webpage: https://www.suitcaseclinic.org/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suitcaseclinic/ 

Instagram handles: @thesuitcaseclinic @yqt_suitcase

⚡ BONUS: Weekly Service Spotlight – Outreach Team! ⚡

(Check back in on our crowdfunding or social media pages weekly for new spotlights & ways to see your donation leaving an impact! Updated on Sundays.)

❣️ About our Community Outreach Team! ❣️

        Our Outreach team is a well-oiled machine spreading care and support throughout Berkeley. Outreach is our largest branch of Suitcase, and we distribute essential supplies like hygiene kits, food, wound care, and warm clothing to over 75+ people per week via weekly community walks and drives. Our team doesn't just wait for clients to come to us in clinic – we take initiative to provide to anyone in need. 

"The Suitcase Clinic has been an integral part of my college experience. It is a community full of giving, kind, and uplifting people who have taught me so much and allowed me to become closer to the kind of person I want to be in the world."

✅ Outreach's Goals ✅

Should we raise enough funds, outreach hopes to spend...

• $1000 on purchasing more nutritious meals. (Right now, we only distribute sandwiches. We would like to provide more nutritious and filling meals to clients (e.g., meals made with fresh produce, meals higher in protein))
• $500 on purchasing sleeping bags, tents, and tarps for people in need (especially during this rainy weather)
• $100 on new wagons (right now we're going on walks with three-wheeled ones) 
• ...and more!

⭐ Stories from our volunteers! ⭐

• "I joined Suitcase to make a positive impact on the Berkeley community. After becoming involved in outreach and seeing the direct work we do, I realized just how meaningful and impactful it truly is. The connections we build with unhoused individuals and the stories we hear are essential to creating real change. We strive to provide as much support as possible, and there are many community members who regularly rely on and look forward to our services, whether it’s hot meals, hygiene products, or clothing. Through Suitcase, I genuinely feel like I am making a difference, and it brings me a lot of happiness"
• "Suitcase has provided me so much perspective on how social structures and barriers affect community health and how we, even as students, can contribute to combatting these unrelenting structures through seemingly small but consistent weekly efforts. This club continues to be one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had at Cal."
• "Connections with clients at The Suitcase Clinic have changed the way I move around Berkeley. I feel more integrated with the communities and people that have built the foundation of the city I now call home."
• "Suitcase Clinic is the one community on campus where I KNOW I am making a difference. Whether it be handing out hot meals, emergency blankets, hygiene supplies, or just spending quality time and seeing people for who they are rather than defining them by a circumstance, we support the Berkeley community with little actions that make a big difference. No dollar is wasted here, and each donation will make a positive impact on our operations and support for the Berkeley community."