Our Story
Harrison Lim - a one-time immigrant - began establishing Charity Cultural Services Center (CCSC) with the purpose of serving new immigrants in the Chinatown community. He used his resources as President of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association to secure 827 Stockton Street as CCSCs office and raised money to fund basic necessities for running the organization.
​​With the help of Asian Inc., Mr. Lim wrote proposals for operational expenses and the installation of a kitchen to the Mayor’s Office of Community Development. CCSC was granted financial support by former Mayor, Honorable Dianne Feinstein, who commented that the grant was awarded to such a young agency due to the hard work and trust of Mr. Lim and the Board of Directors.
Soon CCSC was able to hire it’s first full-time staff, install a kitchen, and established the Culinary Academy with services free of charge.
In 1993, the Families In Transition (FIT) Program established its first outpost at Mission High School, serving the needs of the young immigrant population. As services were in greater demand at Newcomer High School, the FIT program switched from Mission High School to Newcomer High School. CCSC established a second outpost at Galileo High School.
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In the late 90s, with cooperation from the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, CCSC worked to introduce a Construction Apprentice Project to the Asian newcomer community. The Asian Apprenticeship Training Program (AATP) opened doors for the Asian community to enter the booming construction field and find security within trade unions.​​​
In 1998, CCSC established a permanent home at 731-747 Commercial Street.​​
By the early 2000s, in partnership with the Neighborhood Beautification Fund of San Francisco, CCSC began the Chinatown Neighborhood Beautification Project in response to requests for neighborhood improvement. Soon CCSC partnered with Mission Hiring Hall (MHH) to offer services for CityBuild Academy with the support of the Office of Economic Workforce Development (OEWD), local unions and other community based organizations.​
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In the 2010s, CCSC reached a new milestone with the addition of the Japanese cooking class, in addition to the Western and Chinese culinary programs and barista & bartender training. A commercial kitchen facility was built for training at the CCSC main office.
In 2021, we started our successful and ongoing youth summer camp program. The camp provides weekly field trips, English and math lessons, arts & crafts and more for 1st to 6th graders.
In 2023, Charity Cultural Services Center celebrated over 40 years of commitment giving back to our community. We continue to serve the residents of San Francisco, ensuring a better future for all.​​
Also in 2023, we expanded to a brand new office space in Bayview's Southeast Community Center (SECC) to bring services closer to residents in the southeast sector of the city.