Welcome to the Thanksgiving issue of our 'Did You Know...?' newsletter for 2018.

Inside:

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley and District Attorney’s Office Staff Provide Turkey and Fixings to 100 Alameda County Families

Over the past two days, at three different locations, DA O’Malley and staff of the District Attorney’s Office teamed up to make sure that 100 families struggling with poverty and food insecurity would have all the ingredients for Thanksgiving dinner.

On Tuesday, November 21 and Wednesday, November 22, the DA’s Office provided a turkey and all the fixings to families gathered at the Alameda County Family Justice Center in Oakland, the Boys & Girls Club of Oakland, and the Eden United Church of Christ in Hayward.

“Too many families in our community face daunting hardships,” says DA O’Malley. “We are grateful that we can provide these 100 families with the ingredients for a Thanksgiving meal with their loved-ones.”

The Alameda County DA's Office wish to thank the Alameda County Family Justice Center Foundation Board for donating the fixings, generous support from Grocery Outlet, and the kind-hearted staff of AutoCom Nissan of Oakland for the pies at the ACFJC.

View photos on our Facebook page.

The Alameda County DA's Office recognizes veterans in our community in numerous ways.

Each year, we partner with Operation Dignity to support returned veterans. Operation Dignity is an Oakland-based Veterans’ non-profit provider offering temporary housing and job services to US Veterans. 

Last year, we supported our military veterans by donating suits to Operation Dignity so veterans could put their best foot forward in job interviews. The focus of this year's drive was on providing household goods for military veterans as they transition from housing at Operation Dignity into homes of their own.

Another way in which the DA's Office recognizes the specific challenges facing some military veterans is through Veterans' Court. Convened in 2013, the Alameda County Veterans Court is a collaborative effort between the DA's Office, Public Defender's Office, Probation, and the Superior Court.

Veterans' Court recognizes the unique challenges facing military veterans and helps address the underlying reasons for their involvement with the criminal justice system, such as addiction and PTSD. Each veteran participating in the court program must meet the structured, biweekly requirements established by the Judge and regularly report back to the court. The court is also assisted by a varied group of professionals offering supportive services.

Find out more about collaborative courts.

At our most recent Drug Take Back Day, the DA's Office collected more than 180 pounds of unused prescription and over-the-counter medication. A very big thank you to our community members who disposed of their medications safely!

The next Drug Take Back Day is scheduled for April 2019.

Members from the DA's Office had a wonderful time at the Día de Los Muertos Festival recently. The event brings more than 80,000 to Oakland's Fruitvale District to celebrate with music, dance, art installations, food, and more.

We had the opportunity to speak with many community members about the work we do at the DA’s Office, our Victim-Witness Assistance Division,  Alameda County Family Justice Center , youth programs, collaborative courts, and other preventative programs.

It was a great day to join our vibrant community in celebration of the Day of the Dead. View the slideshow .

For a summary of recent verdicts, please visit our website.

From our DA family to yours, we wish you a very safe and Happy Thanksgiving.