Gilroy
– A Gilroy resident, nonprofit organization and business will
receive well-deserved applause from the Gavilan College community
Thursday night.
The Gavilan Community College Board of Trustees will present the
2004 Community Spirit Awards for Gilroy, recognizing contributions
made by members of the community.
Gilroy – A Gilroy resident, nonprofit organization and business will receive well-deserved applause from the Gavilan College community Thursday night.
The Gavilan Community College Board of Trustees will present the 2004 Community Spirit Awards for Gilroy, recognizing contributions made by members of the community.
This year’s winners are Joe Peralta, St. Joseph’s Family Center and South Valley Disposal and Recycling.
The retired owner of the former Busy Bee Restaurant, Peralta has been donating his culinary talents to Gilroy for more than 50 years. Peralta, 86, provides a number of food services to Gilroy organizations including barbecues for Gilroy High School’s football team events, pancake breakfasts for the Lion’s Club, monthly lunches for the St. Joseph’s Family Center board of directors and meals for the city’s kids summer camp.
Peralta also cooks for St. Joseph’s St. Patrick’s Day dinner fundraiser and annual Thanksgiving dinner, which provides 250 to 300 dinners to homeless individuals each year.
“There are people out there who have a lot less than we do – people without jobs, without homes,” he said. “To see the happy faces and know that you’ve done something that has helped a lot, that’s the main thing. You know you’re helping.”
St. Joseph’s Family Center provides emergency services, food, shelter and clothing to people with immediate needs while encouraging self-sufficiency. Each month, the center provides fresh, healthy meals to more than 1,800 adults and children, teens and adults in addiction recovery, farmworkers, low-income seniors and homeless and near-homeless families.
The center was founded 20 years ago by eight churches in Gilroy. Executive director David Cox described the award as a humbling surprise that will continue to motivate the center’s workers.
“I think when a group like St. Joseph’s is honored like this, you question if its deserved or not because there are a lot of organizations doing great things in this community,” he said. “But certainly it demonstrates all the hard work our staff, volunteers and board of directors have put in to keep St. Joseph’s a venerable, viable, strong nonprofit in the area.”
South Valley Disposal and Recycling has participated in the South County community for more than 50 years. The business sponsors Gilroy parades, community clean-ups and classroom presentations about recycling, as well as assisting several Gilroy organizations such as the Gang Task Force and the Gilroy Unified School District.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized by Gavilan for this award. South Valley is certainly a part of the community,” said South Valley spokesman Phil Couchee. “We do a lot of community events for both nonprofits and businesses, and I think this award is a reflection of those kinds of involvements.”
The award ceremony will take place from 5:30 to 7 tonight at the clubhouse at Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club, 2951 Club Drive. It is free and open to the public. The ceremony is in conjunction with the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce’s monthly mixer.
Gavilan’s board of trustees created the spirit awards in 1999. Each year, three sets of awards are presented for the communities that form the Gavilan Joint Community College District: Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Benito County. In each, an individual, a business and a nonprofit organization are selected.
This year’s award winners in Morgan Hill are Julian Mancias, volunteer chairman of the Morgan Hill Day Worker Center; Morgan Hill Rotary, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary of involvement in the community; and Kings Martial Arts, an active supporter of several programs in the Morgan Hill community. The awards were presented in September.
Nominations are being accepted for the San Benito County awards, which will be presented in December. Nominations are open to the public.
Details: 848-4724.
