”
We are getting a lot of people coming here for the first time
this year, people who have never had to go to a social service for
help before.
”
Please, dwell on that comment for a moment.
“We are getting a lot of people coming here for the first time this year, people who have never had to go to a social service for help before.”
Please, dwell on that comment for a moment. That’s David Cox, the director of St. Joseph’s Family Center which helps feed the hungry in Gilroy, speaking.
Donations are down, and the need is up this year. We are all cognizant of the continued layoffs in our area. Many people are out of work. More face desperate times.
But don’t dwell on the difficult economic times. Do something if you can. Pick up an extra turkey at the store and some canned fruit or vegetables. Take it to St. Joseph’s, 7950 Church St., or the Salvation Army, Fifth and Church streets.
One of the very best things about Gilroy is our community’s collective generosity. The firefighters battling the Croy Road fire this past summer commented repeatedly that they had never been so welcome or appreciated as they were in Gilroy.
There’s little doubt that Gilroyans will answer the call for food – even given the 20 percent increase in families applying for St. Joseph’s food assistance program during the last year. All it takes is for everyone to do their part.
Don’t forget, too, that the Salvation Army and St. Joseph’s don’t just feed the hungry on the fourth Thursday of November and the 25th of December. Those are but two days, and the two agencies fulfill their task the other 363 days as well. Donations of cash, therefore, are just as welcome and important.
Those donations help families in dire straits pay utility bills, cover the rent or provide nourishment for a child. Every donation counts. This year the pangs of hunger are sharp and unrelenting for many.
While you may never be in desperate need of a meal yourself, know that your gift to the hungry will satisfy something essential deep in your soul and satisfy something very basic in another human being.
