Auntie Helen’s closes after decades of service to the community
By Benny Cartwright
Auntie Helen’s, a longtime nonprofit organization that served those living with HIV/AIDS and operated a charity thrift store in North Park, closed its doors for good on Dec. 31, 2023.
The legacy of the organization and its founder, Gary Cheatam, will not be lost forever though, as the charity plans to rebrand as the Gary Cheatam Scholarship Fund to support those pursuing education in research, case management, and social services.
In 1988, at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, San Diego activist Gary Cheatam founded Auntie Helen’s in a one-car garage as a fluff and fold laundry project to help just one community member who was living with AIDS. At that time, many people living with AIDS became so sick that they were unable to handle basic tasks on their own — things like doing their laundry.
Cheatam founded the operation to fill this need and over the years served thousands of people who were too sick to do their laundry on their own. In the summer of 1989, the organization expanded to include its popular thrift shop, which was housed in the same space as the laundry operation, to help finance the service. The shop was located in North Park (at two different locations) on 30th Street throughout its entire history, and was able to open originally due to financial support of prominent San Diegans like Joan Kroc, former Mayor Maureen O’Connor, her twin sister Mavoureen, and Ben Dillingham.
According to Auntie Helen’s officials, the program was the first of its kind, and up until its closing last month, was the only service of its kind still in operation. Auntie Helen’s received many accolades over the years, including being named a “National Point of Light” by the White House in 1991, received an apostolic blessing from His Holiness Pope John Paul II, and its thrift store was many times listed as one of the top 100 charities in the nation.
As advances in HIV/AIDS treatment lessened the amount of people living with the virus who were too gravely ill to care for themselves, Auntie Helen’s expanded its services over the years to include weekly food distributions, serving over 1,600 families a week.
The organization also partnered with medical clinics in San Diego to offer free preventative care, confidential HIV testing, and educational resources for preventive drugs like Truvada. They also provided free access to donated, basic medical equipment related to activities of daily living, such as shower chairs, walkers, and canes.
As San Diego saw an increase of community members living without shelter, Auntie Helen’s began providing hygiene kits and blankets to homeless neighbors, and officials said they served over 300 homeless San Diegans per month.
Finally, through its thrift store, Auntie Helen’s would provide free clothing to case managers and social workers to give to their clients for any needs, including job interviews.
As their services expanded over the years, Auntie Helen’s continued to offer its laundry service, to anyone who was physically unable, no matter what the reason, although director Rod Legg said they haven’t had a request for the service since 2020.
In a statement posted to social media in December, Auntie Helen’s said that the mission as founder Cheatam envisioned it has been “met and exceeded,” which is the main reason for closing down the primary operations.
“In the 1980s, Auntie Helen’s was a bright light for all of us,” read the statement. “In the early 2000s, [Auntie Helen’s] had the dark times with a series of bad managers and in 2017-18 Rod Legg came and made the needed changes to grow us, feed 1,600 families a week, expand the location, and bring national attention to the charity … This is not a goodbye as we are simply transitioning to a Gary Cheatam Scholarship Fund.”
In a Facebook post, Legg wrote, “This is the next step in Gary Cheatam and Auntie Helen’s natural evolution.”
Along with the scholarship fund, the organization hopes to continue to provide services like the food distribution, as many in the community rely on the groceries that were provided.
Volunteers and staff of the charity spent the first week of 2024 packing up the thrift store and looking ahead to the future. Limited details are available at this time regarding the planned scholarship fund, but leaders have said to keep an eye on Auntie Helen’s Facebook page and website for details as they become available.
To review their website, which is still active, visit auntiehelens.org.
–Benny Cartwright is a longtime activist and community leader. Reach him at [email protected]. Follow him on Instagram @BennyC80.
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