With a warm and nurturing name, Martha’s Village & Kitchen is one of the largest providers of services to homeless and low-income people in the Coachella Valley and Riverside County. The organization was founded in 1990 by two women with a religious background. Their original mission was to serve homeless neighbors hot meals from a parish kitchen with a $5 donation and a group of seven volunteers. There is no “Martha;” the founders chose the name from the Bible. Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus, was known for her hospitality.
By 1996, Martha’s Village & Kitchen was serving 300 meals a day – Monday through Friday – at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish Hall in Riverside. However, the founders had bigger plans for the organization; they wanted it to be more than a kitchen. They dreamt of a full-service facility that could offer unique, life-changing programs based on the nationally recognized “continuum of care model,” with an effort to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty.
Sam Hollenbeck, president and CEO of Martha’s Village & Kitchen and a resident of Palm Desert, says, “In 1997, Tom and Rita Martin donated a nine-acre parcel in Indio. A partnership with Father Joe’s Village in San Diego was entered into to develop the site. Dan and LeAnn Dunlap donated funds for construction, and in 2001, the Dan Dunlap Center – a 45,000-square-foot facility – was opened to the public.” A temporary shelter that could house 100 people was constructed on the property in 2007. The structure had heating and air conditioning to make it comfortable throughout the year. (Homeless people in the Coachella Valley experience the added stressors of extreme summer heat and frigid winter temperatures. Summertime can be dangerous for those living without a home, as heat can kill.)
From there, Martha’s continued to grow. Today, there are more than 100 employees and many volunteers. More than 8,000 people walked through Martha’s doors in Indio last year and more than 300,000 meals were served. “There are a million stories out there for why people are who and where they are … something goes wrong,” Hollenbeck says. Many of the clients are families with young children and the services are comprehensive. The Navigation Center offers showers, snacks, water, heat, and A/C, as well as case managers who can make a connection with clients. There are 50 beds in the facility and dinner and breakfast are provided.
Programs also include a recuperative care facility which prevents “curb dumping,” a horrible term and situation that many people have sadly witnessed. When patients are released from a hospital – if they have no permanent housing or support – recovering on the streets can be chaotic, counterproductive, and dangerous. The recuperative care facility allows patients to safely recover their strength. The service is in partnership with the Inland Empire Health Plan and Kaiser Permanente.
The wrap-around services the founders dreamed of include a food pantry, kitchen, employment center, support for navigating Social Security and social services, a tutoring lab, a thrift store, and a full-service health clinic that is open to the public and uses income-driven pricing. The public clinic, run by DAP Health, promotes the health and well-being of the community at large.
Hollenbeck says the thrift store in Indio is open to the public, as well, and 100 percent of the revenue goes back into Martha’s Village & Kitchen’s programs. Clients can obtain vouchers for clothes for job interviews, and when clients graduate and secure permanent housing, the thrift store is a great resource to furnish their new living situation. “We typically place 500 or more people into stable housing each year, half of which are children,” Hollenbeck says. Martha’s has an unparalleled record of accomplishment, placing 80 percent of its clients into stable housing. The wrap-around services provide case management, employment, and education.
When I met with team members, they spoke about the range of clients that benefit from Martha’s services and support and emphasized the number of families that come through the doors. The cost of living in the Coachella Valley has skyrocketed. Housing, childcare, and health care can be a precarious juggle for families living on the economic edge. The Child Development Center provides childcare and comprehensive services. A tutoring program ensures that young residents do not fall behind in school. “We are unique in that we do not separate families,” Hollenbeck proudly reports. “Both fathers and mothers stay with their children while the family is enrolled in our program. To help working parents with daycare costs, we have a 55-child-capacity Children’s Development Center for children 6 weeks to 5 years of age. This is a no-cost/low-cost center that serves the community and allows parents to have safe, loving care for their children while they work. No parent should have to choose between daycare and work.”
Alexandra Vargas, development information and communications officer for Martha’s, was excited to share information about the annual Thanksgiving 5K that takes place in Palm Desert on El Paseo. Crowds of up to 5,000 people join together to support the work of Martha’s Village & Kitchen. Each year, Martha’s typically serves a Thanksgiving meal to more than 900 people. In addition to serving meals, the organization participates in a USDA food distribution once a month, and a food pantry that is open to the public provides food and baby supplies. “Eighty-three percent of the community that uses our food pantry is not homeless,” Hollenbeck says. “A significant amount of our effort is used towards preventing homelessness.”
With roots deep in the Coachella Valley, Martha’s Village & Kitchen excels in providing help to the Indio community. Word spread and as demand grew, the non-profit 501(c)(3) organization expanded. There are now satellite offices in Mecca and Desert Hot Springs and two locations in Palm Springs. The overnight facility in Palm Springs, which opened in March 2024, has already enabled 50 homeless individuals to get off of the streets and into a warm bed each night. The Access and Navigation Center in Palm Springs will be combined to create a state-of-the-art facility that can provide both transitional and overnight housing for homeless people.
“Due to the high demand for affordable childcare, we are in the process of raising funds to build a stand-alone Child Development Center on our Indio campus,” Hollenbeck adds. “The new center will increase our daily capacity from 55 children to 120 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, ages 6 weeks to 5 years.”
Volunteers are always needed and there are plenty of ways to get involved, from donating funds to partaking in the Turkey Day 5K. Due to ongoing mental health and addiction issues and high housing, health care and living costs, the devastating repercussions of homelessness can seem overwhelming. When asked what it is about this work that inspires the team at Martha’s, Hollenbeck replied, “It’s nice to go home at night knowing you changed someone’s life.”
