A new $100,000 fund aims to give “urgent support” to victims of a mass shooting that injured 13 and killed four, including three school-age children, at a birthday party in north Stockton over the Thanksgiving weekend.
“Our community is hurting,” Michael Duffy, head of the San Joaquin Community Foundation, said in a news release this week. “This fund is a lifeline for families navigating unimaginable loss and trauma.”
The Heal Stockton Fund was unveiled Wednesday by former Mayor Michael Tubbs and community advocates. It was spearheaded by Reinvent Stockton, the Sierra Health Foundation and the San Joaquin Community Foundation, according to the news release.
Money will go to “grieving families,” organizers said.
“Together, we can provide immediate relief and build a safer future,” Duffy added.
California-based nonprofits Black Freedom Fund and the James B. McClatchy Foundation each donated $25,000 to the pot for those directly affected by the attack, according to organizers.
The Sierra Health Foundation, a private charity in Sacramento that advocates for health and racial justice, topped off the funds with an additional $50,000.
No clear plan was offered for how the money would be distributed or exactly who would be the beneficiaries. Organizers also did not specify who qualified as “grieving families.”
Some of the money will be earmarked for use “on the ground,” supporting victim witness programs for things like legal assistance and community organizations for relocation and rental relief, organizers say.
Reinvent Stockton was started by Tubbs in 2017 to support youth development in the city. In 2023, the Tubbs-led nonprofit received $4.42 million from the the James Irvine Foundation for its operations and community projects, such as its scholarship program. The San Joaquin Community Foundation also received $7.55 million.
“Stockton is strongest when we act together,” Tubbs said in the release announcing the fund for victims. “This effort shows what’s possible when we do.”
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