Families Forward

In TWO weeks, You can make the SWEETEST impact! 🍪 Help Them Home Giving Day is just two weeks away, and we’re getting ready to raise $130K in just 24 hours to help families in Orange County find stable housing and hope for a brighter tomorrow. Whether you join as a matching sponsor, host a team bake sale, or encourage your company to fundraise, your business can be the sweet ingredient that helps families thrive. 🍰 Let's mix up something meaningful on April 23rd! 🔗 Learn more at https://lnkd.in/gCSnpiRq #BakingUpBrightFutures #HelpThemHomeOC

We’re proud to share that our incredible CEO, Madelynn Hirneise, was recently honored at the Fourth Annual Women Making a Difference event hosted by Office of Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley - District 5. Madelynn’s leadership and dedication to creating pathways to housing continue to inspire us every day. Congratulations to all of the other amazing honorees who are making a lasting impact in our community!

Live from the AAOC Rental Housing Show! We’re at the OC Fair & Event Center today until 3pm, connecting with rental housing professionals to build stronger partnerships and housing solutions. At Families Forward, we support our housing partners by providing reliable tenants, guaranteed rent, and dedicated assistance to ensure a smooth and successful partnership. A huge thank you to our trusted housing partners—your collaboration has helped families and children find the stability of a home. Interested in filling vacancies while making a difference? Stop by booth #134 to learn how partnering with Families Forward benefits both your business and the community. #AAOCRentalHousingShow #HousingPartners #FamiliesForward #StableHousing

Mixing Business with Purpose—Let’s Bake Up Big Change! Just like the best recipes, creating lasting change takes the right ingredients—compassion, generosity, and community support. This Help Them Home Giving Day, businesses and groups can be the secret ingredient that makes an even greater impact for families experiencing housing insecurity. By joining as a matching sponsor, you can double every donation, helping more families find a stable place to call home. Whether you host a company bake sale, form a fundraising team, or provide a corporate match, your support helps create brighter futures—one home at a time. On April 23rd, Families Forward is rallying to raise $130K in 24 hours as part of a community-wide effort to raise $1.5M to help families find stable housing. Together, let’s mix up something meaningful and help families move forward. 🔗 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gnfuV93z #BakingUpBrightFuturesforFamilies #HelpThemHomeOC

A huge thank you to our incredible partners who joined our Career Fair in Santa Ana! Disneyland Resort, Goodwill of Orange County, ChildCare Careers, Applied Medical, Fairway Staffing Because of your support, 33 interviews were scheduled for our housing and prevention clients, bringing them one step closer to stable employment and long-term housing security. 🏠 At Families Forward, we know that access to stable income is a key factor in breaking the cycle of homelessness. By connecting families with job opportunities, we’re helping them build a foundation for financial independence abd a successful transition back into permanent housing.

Extra! Extra! We are thrilled to see our CEO, Madelynn Hirneise, on the cover of Orange Coast Magazine's annual Kickass Women edition, alongside her incredible CEO “Sisterhood”! This special issue, celebrating International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, honors the powerful women making an impact in our community. Congratulations to ALL the kickass women featured—your leadership, vision, and dedication inspire us every day! #KickassWomen #WomenInLeadership #WomensHistoryMonth

Now Hiring: Development Coordinator – Fundraising & Donor Stewardship Star in Irvine, CA! Are you passionate about making a difference and building meaningful connections? Do you thrive in a fast-paced environment, love organizing details, and have a knack for donor relations? Families Forward is looking for a dynamic Development Coordinator to support fundraising efforts, manage donor databases, and help us strengthen our community impact! ✨ What’s in it for you? ✔ Be part of a mission-driven team working to end family homelessness ✔ Engage with donors and support fundraising strategies ✔ A collaborative, fast-paced work environment where your contributions matter ✔ Competitive pay ($25-$31/hr), full benefits, and opportunities for growth If you're detail-oriented, tech-savvy, and passionate about philanthropy, we want to hear from you! Apply today and help us create lasting change.

Congratulations to our CEO, Madelynn Hirneise, and her fellow UC Irvine Alumnae CEOs, Claudia Bonilla Keller, MPA Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, Jennifer Friend Project Hope Alliance and Kelsey Morgan, PhD EverFree, for being featured in The Anteater Winter 2025 edition! Their inspiring leadership and dedication to community impact shine in this special feature, highlighting Madelynn and her sisters in good as they create lasting change. Check out the full article to see how these incredible leaders are making a difference! UC Irvine

Incredible! ABC7 featured our new Community Market at Families Forward, a dignified, self-serve space providing fresh and nutritious food for families in need. Watch the coverage to see how we're making a difference!

🍊 Exciting News from Families Forward 🍊 We are thrilled to announce the grand opening of The Community Market at Families Forward—a reimagined food distribution hub designed to put dignity, choice, and nutrition first for Orange County families. With 1 in 3 families struggling to meet basic needs, this newly transformed Trader Joes-esque pantry allows families to shop for groceries and essentials that fit their preferences and dietary needs. More than just food assistance, The Community Market creates opportunities for families to connect with additional services that support long-term stability. Housing and food insecurity go hand in hand and it's about building relationships and providing meaningful resources to lift families out of the need so we can target upstream prevention and impact! What’s New? 🍊 A grocery-style shopping experience for over 800 families each month 🍊 Expanded storage for fresh produce, milk, eggs, and lean protein 🍊 A renovated warehouse to accommodate more food donations and essentials 🍊 A team of trained ambassadors to help families access additional support This DREAM wouldn’t be possible without the support of Supervisor Don Wagner, San Diego Gas & Electric, and Harvesters, along with our incredible community partners and in-kind donors. (C.W. Driver Companies, Pandr Design Co., Hendy Designs, Todd Calish and SO many more!) Special thank you to Vanessa Howard for making this dream a reality - you are the true magic maker! ⭐ It takes a community to feed a community! ⭐ Learn more about The Community Market at Families Forward and how we’re working to end family homelessness: www.families-forward.org #FamiliesForward #CommunityMarket #EndHomelessness #FoodSecurity #OrangeCounty #DignityFirst #NonprofitImpact LaShanda Maze Ali Schwan Dara Mullarkey Robert Pequeno Anne Belyea Karl Kreutziger Claudia Bonilla Keller, MPA Kevin Fuhrmann Claudia Bustos Tara Campbell Billy Hughes Nishtha Mohendra Cheryl Vargo, MS Minzah Malik, MPH, MBA Victor Cao Kazeem Omidiji Erik Weigand