Excerpts from a Faith in Action recap of their Saturday event:

This past Saturday, more than 490 families facing foreclosure visited the Rabobank Convention Center to seek face-to-face help from servicers and HUD-approved counselors.

The event, sponsored by HOPE Now, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and Neighborworks America, left many families walking away feeling hopeful and empowered. In fact, according to Faith In Action’s exit survey, “were your expectations met?” 87 out of 117 respondents answered “yes” (three responded “somewhat”).

The HOPE Now event came to Bakersfield after Faith In Action’s community meeting on the foreclosure crisis in February 2009 with more than 700 concerned residents and people of faith. Faith In Action worked with the regional office of HUD and the Federal Reserve of San Francisco to bring more resources to Kern County’s families facing foreclosure.

— from Andrae Gonzales, executive director of Faith in Action Kern County