GILROY
– David Cox, executive director of Saint Joseph’s Family Center,
has a saying that puts a somewhat lighthearted spin on the fact
that his organization is serving more and more people.
”
As much as business has suffered because of the economy, our
business is booming,
”
he said.
GILROY – David Cox, executive director of Saint Joseph’s Family Center, has a saying that puts a somewhat lighthearted spin on the fact that his organization is serving more and more people.
“As much as business has suffered because of the economy, our business is booming,” he said.
All humor aside, the nonprofit has stepped up its services significantly over the past two years. Saint Joseph’s helps homeless or low-income individuals and families by providing food baskets, hot meals, and emergency housing assistance.
“We’ve seemingly always managed to serve, percentage-wise, more people every year,” Cox said.
Last year, 65,573 people participated in the food assistance program, an increase of 16 percent. The number of people depending on the center for meals increased by 12 percent in 2001.
“That’s a 28 percent cumulative increase,” Cox said. “That’s fairly substantial, it’s pretty shocking.”
He credits a more focused outreach and better networking among charity organizations to the center’s ability to keep up with demand and reach those who need assistance.
“With the support of the community, we’ve been able to meet those needs,” Cox said.
Similarly, The Lord’s Table, which is run by Saint Joseph’s and serves hot meals to homeless and low-income individuals three times weekly, served 15,267 meals last year, up 21 percent from 2001. Cox said the past 18 to 24 months have also produced a change in the demographic of people using Saint Joseph’s services.
“(There are) people who have found themselves in the position of, for the first time, seeking assistance,” he said. “Even families that used to come to us sporadically or with some regularity are trying to use our services with more regularity.”
The number of families facing homelessness that Saint Joseph’s provided with emergency motel vouchers also increased last year by 18 percent, to 46 families.
Cox said more people coming to Saint Joseph’s are victims of the economy who were laid off and are having trouble finding another job. Based on the response he has seen from the community – Gilroyans stepping up their donations during the holiday season and stopping by to see what more is needed – Cox said he thinks Saint Joseph’s will be able to keep up with increasing demand.
“We’ve been very fortunate that we have just fantastic community support,” he said. “I think, for the most part, we’ve been able to meet that need, but sometimes we wonder if there’s going to be a light at the end of the tunnel.”
Things might start to improve as the economy continues to improve, but Cox expects things to get worse before they improve. The organization has already seen a decrease in the number and size of government grants it receives.
“We’re even guessing that there’s going to be more cuts down the line,” Cox said. “We’re hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.”
For more information on providing donations to Saint Joseph’s Family Center, call 842-6662.
