What some nonprofits expected to be a dreary season of giving
turned out better than they had hoped thanks to a city that’s
pulled together despite tough times.
What some nonprofits expected to be a dreary season of giving turned out better than they had hoped thanks to a city that’s pulled together despite tough times.
“The community has really rallied,” said Vicky Martin, food distribution coordinator at St. Joseph’s Family Center. “For the most part, it seems like during this time when the economy is really struggling, people’s giving spirit has really come out right now.”
St. Joseph’s still needs about 150 turkeys by Friday to round out its holiday food baskets and it always needs unwrapped, new toys, especially for children ages 8 through 10 years old, Martin said. But in terms of dried and canned goods, “it’s going pretty good,” she said. Even though the need is greater this year than last – the center aims to hand out 750 food baskets compared to 600 last year – “we’re seeing more donations than we expected,” Martin said. Also, “volunteerism is up. People are out of work so they have more free time and they’re acutely aware of the need.”
The success of the Salvation Army’s Adopt a Family program shocked that organization’s board president, Christine Flautt, she said.
“I thought this year was going to be really tough,” she said. “I’m amazed at where we’re at. Gilroy has been so generous and so has Morgan Hill and San Martin.”
With about 450 applications from families in need of “adoption” this holiday season, Flautt said she had to narrow the list down to 85 of the most needy families – primarily those coping with homelessness, unemployment, illness or domestic abuse. From toasters and irons to blankets and pillows, the needs of those families are immense, Flautt said. Corporations and individual families sponsor those families and provide them with as many items on their wish list as possible, including a Christmas dinner.
Last year, the community adopted 86 families and the Salvation Army received about $40,000 in donations on their behalf, Flautt said. The deadline to drop off items for the Adopt a Family program is Monday. Community members may also donate unwrapped toys between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The hundreds of less needy families who applied to the program will also receive a food box and be able to select toys from the Salvation Army’s toy shop, Flautt said. Monday afternoon, staff at the Salvation Army received a $10,000 check from Saint Louise Regional Hospital to benefit those families, she said.
Through word of mouth and the efforts of Melissa and Robert Viquez, who took over the Gilroy location about four years ago, the programs have become vibrant and well-known throughout the community, Flautt said. The organization also has several giving trees stationed around town.
“When I first started I thought it was just bell ringing,” she laughed.
The Salvation Army’s annual telethon netted 314 toys, 313 pounds of clothing, 1,576 pounds of food and $1,540 in cash, Flautt said. Although monetary donations were down from last year and no one donated turkeys, this year’s outlook is good, considering the circumstances, she said.
A few smaller operations aren’t seeing the same results, however.
Judging by the donations of toys trickling in to the Gilroy Elks Lodge, Elks member Ken Boucher said he expected a below average year.
“This year is going terrible,” he said of the local drive for the Toys for Tots program, which was established by the U.S. Marine Corps to distribute toys as Christmas gifts to needy children. “Of course the economy is not the greatest.”
His organization has only received a couple dozen toys other than the ones collected at their annual holiday party.
“The Marines are battling for us,” he said. “We ought to help them out a little bit. I’m hoping we can do better because it would be a shame for these kids not to get anything.”
Residents have until Dec. 23 to donate toys to the Elks Lodge’s program.
The Silicon Valley chapter of the American Red Cross didn’t see the usual bump in monetary donations it tends to experience every year around Christmas but its Holiday Mail for Heroes program “went really well,” said Cynthia Shaw, director of communications and marketing.
Gilroy Fire Captain Chris Weber agreed that this year is “probably the lightest year” of the nine years he’s been running the Toys for Tots program at the Las Animas Fire Station. Community members dropped off about 200 toys at his station. Typically, they get about twice that number, Weber said. The toys collected at Las Animas will be distributed Saturday.
“The economy is first and foremost in everyone’s minds and families are scaling back where they can to make ends meet,” Weber said. “All the toys we get stay in the community and go back to local families. Hopefully things will pick up.”
