St. Joseph’s Family Center has an ambitious plan to help struggling families this holiday season by serving turkey dinners to thousands of hungry people.
But there’s a big bump in the road: South County’s largest food distribution agency only has 16 turkeys in its freezers.
“We need turkeys desperately,” said Vicky Martin, the donation and pantry coordinator. “I’m a little nervous right now because Thanksgiving is creeping upon us quickly and with only 16 turkeys, our freezers are completely empty.”
Usually, people or companies pull up to the entrance at 7950 Church St. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and drop off needed food. This year, donations have slowed, perhaps because people think the economy is doing better. But in Gilroy, the need is higher than ever, said Martin.
“It’s winter. You have extra expenses in the winter anyway and it’s predicted to be an El Niño year, so a lot of our migrant families and agriculture workers will be out of work during the rain.”
St. Joseph’s, which serves thousands of Gilroy residents from its Church Street center, includes among its service programs transit passes for the homeless, help with employment for those looking to apply for a job, hot meals for the homeless, and a food pantry for both families and individuals.
Every Monday it serves 600 families healthy produce, with no questions asked. Anyone who needs food can line up and get it. The pantry also stocks eggs, milk, bread and canned goods.
The center is one of about 300 agencies supplied by the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. St. Joseph’s asks for donations of non-perishable snack foods, fresh produce, and unprepared meats year round. For the holiday season, the center asks for turkeys, yams, and stuffing.
Martin has seen slow beginnings to the donation season before and watched things pick up, but this year she’s really worried. She says she may have to buy turkeys for the first time.
The agency has a tiny workforce compared to other food charities,” Martin added. It is one of the largest organizations in the county for distribution, but has only nine employees. Other, smaller agencies have 30-80 employees. Gilroy volunteers make up the difference.
St. Joseph’s, like many community outreach centers that serve low-income households and the homeless, also asks for clothing, blankets and sleeping bags. Tents and tarps, used by the homeless to protect themselves from cold weather, are in especially high demand, Martin said
