FOR CRISIS NURSERIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, the focus is simple: to be there for families in need with free (or low-cost), temporary child care and support, beyond normal working hours, seven days a week.
The Bay Area Crisis Nursery (BACN) is the only program in the San Francisco Bay Area that provides these services to families. However, with the ongoing implementation of President Donald Trump’s 2025 trade policy featuring reciprocal tariffs, BACN is concerned about how it will continue to serve its clients going forward with the loss of one of its major donors — the Valero Benicia Refinery.
“Parents need community, need social support, and we’re one part of what they need,” said Tara Legaspi, BACN’s executive director. “We try to give them as much as we can, but we can’t do everything.”
BACN has provided numerous services for the Bay Area community, including a food and diaper pantry, an overnight and daytime program, family resource navigation and a boutique at no cost to families since 1981. However, half of BACN’s funding is reliant on individual donors. And when donors themselves are facing financial strains due to tariffs, layoffs and more, it impacts the Concord-based organization indirectly.
A study conducted by The Budget Lab at Yale predicted that all 2025 tariffs through August will increase the average household income loss to $2,300 under the validation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Additionally, UCLA Anderson’s Forecast predicts a potential “stagflation-lite” scenario of the economy from the tariffs and interest rate cuts, which would mean an increase in unemployment.
Falling donations, rising demand
Legaspi agrees that unemployment is part of their concern, as well. She said they anticipate an increase in their services, while a potential decrease in funding since individual donors may not have much expendable income.
“We look at what our basic needs are,” Legaspi said. “For parents, their basic needs are child care. Without child care, you can’t do anything.”
The Valero Benicia Refinery was not only a critical part of BACN’s funding, it also donated food, back-to-school backpacks, holiday gifts and volunteered hundreds of hours to the nonprofit. The good news is the refinery donated $90,000 to the crisis nursery earlier this fall as its final commitment, giving BACN time to come up with a plan.
Several nonprofits in the region also are being impacted by the refinery closing. Valero has given more than $77 million to local charities since it moved to its location in 2000, reports the Vallejo Sun.
It “touches just about every person in the community, one way or another,” Benicia City Councilmember Terry Scott said in the article about Valero leaving. “They provided funding for these groups, and that funding has now dried up, so they’re going to have to find new sources of revenue in a very difficult environment for fundraising.”
“We look at what our basic needs are. For parents, their basic needs are child care. Without child care, you can’t do anything.” Tara Legaspi, Bay Area Crisis Nursery
Despite being faced with an uncertain 2026, BACN’s Legaspi encourages families to continue using its food and diaper banks, as well as other resources.
Legaspi agrees that donations and community support are great ways to support nonprofits in these uncertain financial situations. BACN is best supported by donating diapers, food, or checking out its website to see how to get involved in its mission to prevent child abuse through family support services.
Recently, the organization has been planning to bring back its volunteer program, which will allow community members to be trained to work with children.
“Acts of kindness go a long way when you’re alone,” Legaspi said.
Emma Mayta Canales is a 12th grader at Deer Valley High School in Antioch and a CCYJ correspondent.
This is one in a series of stories reporting on the challenges nonprofit organizations in Contra Costa County face as changes in federal laws and policies go into effect. The series was made possible by support from the Lesher Foundation, its Newsmakers speaker series, and the Bay City News Foundation. Stories are produced independently by the CCYJ news team. This story originally appeared in CCSpin.