About Us
In Loving Memory of . . .
William & Cecile Frazee
The Inspiration and Spirit behind the Frazee Community Center
Thank You for the Many You Have Helped
The Inspiration and Spirit behind the Frazee Community Center
Thank You for the Many You Have Helped
In Loving Honor of . . .
Mrs. Myrtle Ross ee
One of the most amazing people ever associated with the Frazee Community Center was Mrs. Myrtle Ross. Until the arrival of Mrs. Ross, the lunch served at the Center consisted only of cold sandwiches. After her arrival, homemade meals became the new offering on the menu. Getting up at 5:00AM every morning, she started preparing hot food in her kitchen which would later be served for lunch at the Center. Also, through her efforts Frazee was able to start serving lunch five days a week rather than just three. Mrs. Ross performed all of this work free of charge, as an energetic volunteer. She currently lives in New York.
The PDF links below contain newspaper articles on Mrs. Ross that appeared in The San Bernardino Sun (from 1986) and The Press-Enterprise (from 1999).
Read The San Bernardino Sun article on Mrs. Rosse
Read The Press-Enterprise article on Mrs. Ross
One of the most amazing people ever associated with the Frazee Community Center was Mrs. Myrtle Ross. Until the arrival of Mrs. Ross, the lunch served at the Center consisted only of cold sandwiches. After her arrival, homemade meals became the new offering on the menu. Getting up at 5:00AM every morning, she started preparing hot food in her kitchen which would later be served for lunch at the Center. Also, through her efforts Frazee was able to start serving lunch five days a week rather than just three. Mrs. Ross performed all of this work free of charge, as an energetic volunteer. She currently lives in New York.
The PDF links below contain newspaper articles on Mrs. Ross that appeared in The San Bernardino Sun (from 1986) and The Press-Enterprise (from 1999).
Read The San Bernardino Sun article on Mrs. Rosse
Read The Press-Enterprise article on Mrs. Ross
The Frazee Staff
Executive Director: Stephen J. Howard
Administrative Assistant: Candice Martin
Veterans Representative: Russell Thornton
Administrative Assistant: Candice Martin
Veterans Representative: Russell Thornton
The Board of Directors
Board President: Mary Jane Weber
Board Vice President: Michael Gates
Board Treasurer: Kenneth Smith
Board Secretary: Carol Bruckner
Board Member: Michael Castillo
Board Member: Jack Dioses
Board Member: Joyce Leiffer
Board Member: Robert Lemley
Board Member: James McCombs
Board Member: Heck Thomas
Board Vice President: Michael Gates
Board Treasurer: Kenneth Smith
Board Secretary: Carol Bruckner
Board Member: Michael Castillo
Board Member: Jack Dioses
Board Member: Joyce Leiffer
Board Member: Robert Lemley
Board Member: James McCombs
Board Member: Heck Thomas
The History of the Frazee Community Center
On June 1, 1947, members of the United Methodist Church held a ground-breaking ceremony on a two and one-half acre site that would soon become St. Stephens Methodist Church of San Bernardino, California. Four months later, on September 28, 1947, the very first service was held at the new church. Little did that small group of people (initially less than 100) realize that their huge sacrifice of time, effort, and money would end up helping an enormous amount of people well into the next century.
Established in 1964, the Frazee Community Center, which is located right next to the St. Stephens Church building, is named after William and Cecile Frazee who were members of St. Stephens and whose lives and personal resources were dedicated to helping those less fortunate in the local community. Seeing the need for additional services and programs, it was decided in 1965 to incorporate the Center as a private, non-profit organization. The St. Stephens Church was closed and the United Methodist Church agreed to provide the entire site rent free for use by the Center. Free sandwiches began being served, with donated clothing and food being distributed when available.
In the mid 1980's an incredible person by the name of Myrtle Ross decided that something a lot better than cold sandwiches could be provided by the Center. Getting up at 5:00AM every morning, Mrs. Ross began volunteering her own time to prepare homemade hot meals in her own kitchen which would later be served for lunch at the Center. And she didn't stop there. She then started to approach local merchants and succeded in convincing many of them to donate food to the Center. As a result, not only were people getting a great tasting hot meal, but thanks to the new donantions coming in from local businesses, Frazee was now able to provide meals five days a week rather than just three. Well over 25,000 meals are now served per year and it is estimated that since its inception, over 1,000,000 meals have been served to the needy and homeless in the local community.
Housing services are also offered by the Center. Frazee currently operates five sober living transitional housing units, one of which houses over 14 single women and women with children. Two of the homes are dedicated to homeless veterans, with a total of 13 beds available. In addition, through the city of San Bernardino, Frazee acquired 24 low-income rental units which are monitored annually by the city but are operated by the Frazee staff.
For many years Frazee has had a collaborative agreement with the Social Action Community Health System. This is a group of clinics which provides health care to low-income individuals and families. One of the clinics is located right next to the Frazee Community Center, within easy walking distance.
The mission of the Frazee Community Center is to provide a wide range of services to homeless and low income persons in the San Bernardino area. All of our services are provided without regard to race, age, religion, gender, national origin, disability, or sexual orientation. Funding for the programs offered by Frazee comes from government and private grants, businesses, churches, civic organizations, thrift store revenue and generous individuals.
As a result of the current economic crisis, donations of any type are badly needed. If you would like to become more familiar with our work, we welcome you to visit us either as individuals or groups. For group tours we would appreciate advance notice so that we can ensure that we have adequate staff available to explain the various aspects of our services and give you an in-depth look at our facilities. Thank you for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you!
Read "Up From the Dust" by Rev. George A. Boss
This remarkable essay - dated February 17, 1948 - describes the trials and tribulations involved with the creation of St. Stephens Church as well as its initial achievements and milestones.
Established in 1964, the Frazee Community Center, which is located right next to the St. Stephens Church building, is named after William and Cecile Frazee who were members of St. Stephens and whose lives and personal resources were dedicated to helping those less fortunate in the local community. Seeing the need for additional services and programs, it was decided in 1965 to incorporate the Center as a private, non-profit organization. The St. Stephens Church was closed and the United Methodist Church agreed to provide the entire site rent free for use by the Center. Free sandwiches began being served, with donated clothing and food being distributed when available.
In the mid 1980's an incredible person by the name of Myrtle Ross decided that something a lot better than cold sandwiches could be provided by the Center. Getting up at 5:00AM every morning, Mrs. Ross began volunteering her own time to prepare homemade hot meals in her own kitchen which would later be served for lunch at the Center. And she didn't stop there. She then started to approach local merchants and succeded in convincing many of them to donate food to the Center. As a result, not only were people getting a great tasting hot meal, but thanks to the new donantions coming in from local businesses, Frazee was now able to provide meals five days a week rather than just three. Well over 25,000 meals are now served per year and it is estimated that since its inception, over 1,000,000 meals have been served to the needy and homeless in the local community.
Housing services are also offered by the Center. Frazee currently operates five sober living transitional housing units, one of which houses over 14 single women and women with children. Two of the homes are dedicated to homeless veterans, with a total of 13 beds available. In addition, through the city of San Bernardino, Frazee acquired 24 low-income rental units which are monitored annually by the city but are operated by the Frazee staff.
For many years Frazee has had a collaborative agreement with the Social Action Community Health System. This is a group of clinics which provides health care to low-income individuals and families. One of the clinics is located right next to the Frazee Community Center, within easy walking distance.
The mission of the Frazee Community Center is to provide a wide range of services to homeless and low income persons in the San Bernardino area. All of our services are provided without regard to race, age, religion, gender, national origin, disability, or sexual orientation. Funding for the programs offered by Frazee comes from government and private grants, businesses, churches, civic organizations, thrift store revenue and generous individuals.
As a result of the current economic crisis, donations of any type are badly needed. If you would like to become more familiar with our work, we welcome you to visit us either as individuals or groups. For group tours we would appreciate advance notice so that we can ensure that we have adequate staff available to explain the various aspects of our services and give you an in-depth look at our facilities. Thank you for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you!
Read "Up From the Dust" by Rev. George A. Boss
This remarkable essay - dated February 17, 1948 - describes the trials and tribulations involved with the creation of St. Stephens Church as well as its initial achievements and milestones.