Seeds of Hope Pilgrimage to pass through Merced. What it is, what to expect
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- Faith in the Valley to lead a multi-city pilgrimage through five Central Valley counties.
- Merced stop will host a 9 a.m. resource fair offering free clinic.
- An 11:30 a.m. Merced forum will focus on housing issues and discuss two local ordinances.
Faith in the Valley, a local nonprofit organization, will lead the “Seeds of Hope Pilgrimage” through five Central Valley counties this weekend, with each stop offering different events and services.
According to Faith in the Valley, the pilgrimage is a “a multi-city journey from Stockton to Bakersfield bearing witness to the crises facing Central Valley families, including housing instability, food insecurity, healthcare cuts, immigration enforcement and cuts to the social safety net.”
Attendees will gather locally and then some will ride buses to the next county.
Blanca Ojeda, an organizer with Faith in the Valley, said the event grew out of interfaith dialogue and a shared belief in “human dignity and respect.” Ojeda said the purpose of the pilgrimage is to raise the many issues that impact families in the valley and noted that each stop will have a different focus.
In Merced, the event will highlight health and housing.
Resource Fair in Merced
Saturday’s events will begin at 9 a.m. at the United Methodist Church of Merced, 899 Yosemite Parkway.
The morning will start with a resource fair, connecting local residents to services, including a free clinic and opportunities to meet with local tenant advocates. Representatives from community-based organizations will be present, including Tenants Together, SJ Raise from the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, The Valley Watch Network, United Women of Faith and the League of Women Voters.
Additionally, people will have the opportunity to sign up for the United Methodist Church of Merced’s food distribution program.
United Methodist Church pastor Madeleine Guekguezian said one of the reasons she feels “privileged to host this at my church” is that Faith in the Valley and the UMC share the belief that ”part of faithful action is … serving the underserved.”
At 11:30 a.m., the program will shift to a discussion about housing issues in Merced, with “renter protections front and center.” The speakers will include housing advocates as well as experts from the UC Merced Community & Labor Center. During the forum, they will address Merced’s multi-unit inspection ordinance and the city’s repeat housing code violators ordinance.
Attendees are encouraged to not only attend the event in Merced but to continue on the trip to other counties. The bus to Fresno will leave at 1 p.m. Then, from Fresno, another bus departing at 3 p.m. will take participants to Bakersfield.
At the end of the evening, a bus from Bakersfield will leave at 7 p.m. and make return stops in Fresno, Merced, Modesto and Stockton.
People interested in participating can register at faithinthevalley.org/seeds-of-hope-rsvp.
This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 3:39 PM.
