Community

Thunder, lightning and rain, oh my.

On April 21, local children are invited to a blood-drive party at Gilroy First Baptist Church with games, a face painter, candy and pizza. Special prizes go to the children who decide to donate blood.

After a working a 17-hour day with no breaks, farm worker and Gilroy resident Rogelio Lona remembers driving home to sleep a few hours before waking up at 4 a.m. to do it all over again.  

Get ready: There’s a cash mob happening in Gilroy.

Looking for ways to give back to the community? There are currently two opportunities to support the Gilroy Compassion Center, a local homeless shelter offering food, clothes and support services to the needy.

Community Solutions, a leading social services agency serving South County, will host its sixth annual Hearts of Gilroy Luncheon and Auction from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 21 at Eagle Ridge Golf & Country Club at 2951 Club Dr. in Gilroy.

Employees of Home Depot gave up a Thursday to help paint the corral/arena area at Christmas Hill Park April 5 to celebrate Paint Day.

The Morgan Hill Buddhist Community Center will host the 52nd annual Haru Matsuri event along with the 16th Annual Northern California Taiko Expo from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 15. It will include cultural and historical displays, martial arts and Tai Chi demonstrations, Asian cuisine, and of course, lots of Taiko.