Community

The driver whose carelessness cost a Gilroy teen her life

Gilroy High's track and field teams received standout

A plan of correction addressing “serious” and “critical” deficiencies at Saint Louise Regional Hospital received the stamp of approval from the Federal Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which will conduct an unannounced follow-up survey within the year to ensure the hospital is meeting all the conditions of participation as a Medicare provider.

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

As a young boy, Gilroy native Dustin Wolf went to San Jose Sharks games with his parents. On April 9, Wolf started an NHL game at goalie in the same building for the first time. Playing for the Calgary Flames, Wolf backstopped his team...

Just three hours into the first-ever No Bull BBQ - the food tickets ran out and many of the $10 tasting ticket offerings were long gone.