THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY CENTER OF THE DESERT
Creating vibrant community
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
We are working toward a world in which thriving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people live authentically in supportive, inclusive communities.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Community Food Bank @ The Center
The Community Food Bank @ The Center is a flagship initiative that provides nutritional assistance for those in need. The food bank provides food assistance to all qualified individuals without discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, religion, political persuasion, national origin, disability, and/or covered veteran status. That said, a majority of food bank clients are single seniors who are living alone.
Since 2008, The Community Food Bank @ The Center has been providing fresh produce, baked goods, meat, canned goods, dairy and more to low-income Riverside County residents in need of food assistance. Every Thursday evening, The Center hosts a clean, safe and accessible "pop-up grocery store" that provides FREE groceries for up to 275 households. Considering the amount of protein distributed to clients last year, The Center provided more than 124,000 meals to our food bank clients.
Well over 50% of the food distributed each week is healthy fresh produce, meats and dairy that comes from FIND (Food In Need of Distribution) Food Bank, a local food bank clearinghouse. Through generous donations from local food retailers, FIND provides food to food banks such as the Community Food Bank @ The Center at no-cost or greatly reduced cost. In addition, food collection sites are set up at local businesses and numerous food drives are held throughout the year.
As well as providing food to clients, the food bank periodically hosts additional health & wellness services such as HIV testing, nutritional education and information and assistance with government housing and healthcare options. The food bank's long-term goal is to help reduce and eliminate hunger for individuals and families in the Palm Springs area who are at-risk of or are currently experiencing food insecurity.
The distribution of food happens every Thursday at 610 S. Belardo Rd. For each visit, bring an original photo ID showing your Riverside County residency and your food bank client card. If it is your first visit please bring your original photo ID and proceed to the Client Services table outside the front door at 5:30 pm. If there is space available we will add you to our client rolls. If not you will be given a one-time emergency food basket.
The program served over 16,000 households last year and is often at capacity. Our long term goal is to help reduce and eliminate hunger for individuals and families in the Palm Springs area.
Scott Hines Mental Health Clinic @ The Center
The Scott Hines Mental Clinic offers low cost therapy to the LGBTQ community through a clinical internship program. Master level and PhD interns gain valuable experience working with the LGBT community under clinical supervision. The program strives to offer high quality, affordable counseling tailored to meet each person's needs in a context of trust and respect. Clinicians use evidence-based techniques that can help clients face life's challenges, learn new skills, and make lasting positive changes. Clients can get access to individual therapy, couples counseling, family therapy, Bereavement Therapy groups, Long-Term Survivors Therapy groups, free counseling for older adults, as well as community programs tailored for specific needs and issues.
Eastern Coachella Valley Pride and Outreach
Since 2016, The Center has helped plan and implement the annual Eastern Coachella Valley Pride festival in Coachella, CA through a strategic partnership with Alianza (formerly Building Healthy Communities Coachella Valley), based on research and a report from the Youth Participatory Action Research group completed in 2016. The Eastern Coachella Valley Pride festival is youth-directed, and provides cultural inclusive and community-based celebrations of LGBTQ identity and community to Eastern Coachella Valley, which lacks established LGBTQ organizations and safe spaces. Twice monthly meetings at Desert Mirage High School with students forms the basis of the planning and direction, with additional support from an organizational and community advocate planning table featuring partners including The Center, Planned Parenthood, and others.
In an effort to meet additional needs, in Fall of 2018, The Center will host additional safe space groups for LGBTQ youth in the communities of Mecca, Coachella, and possibly North Shore.
Where we work
External reviews

Videos
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our mission is to create vibrant community by helping LGBTQ people along their way.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We support our vision and our mission by focusing our programs and services on our three strategic initiatives:
• Ending isolation and loneliness,
• Connecting people to services and community and,
• Enriching our individual and collective experiences.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Community meetings/Town halls, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees, Suggestion box/email,
-
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve,
-
With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
-
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
-
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY CENTER OF THE DESERT
Board of directorsas of 02/26/2021
Brian Rix
BurkeRix Communications
Ted Briggs
Better Sales Comp Consultants
Mary Sue Allen
UPS
Larry Colton
Tom Becktold
Susan Dost
Sheridan In-Home Care
Chris Ann Kallgren
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
Al Jones
Lisa Middleton
Michele McKee
O’Kane & McKee, LLP
James Williamson
Charles Robbins
Jim Scheibel
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes