Gilroy
– As the holiday season quickly approaches, South Valley
churches start to gear up to receive donated food and new toys to
be shared with local people in need.
This year the need is especially great.
Gilroy – As the holiday season quickly approaches, South Valley churches start to gear up to receive donated food and new toys to be shared with local people in need.
This year the need is especially great.
“The holidays are coming sooner than we realize,” said David Cox, director of the St. Joseph’s Family Center in Gilroy which aids local families throughout the entire year.
This Saturday, St. Joseph’s will have a sign-up day to register 550 local families to receive food gift baskets during the holidays, he said.
Many families in the South Valley region don’t have the financial resources to spend on extra holiday celebrations for their families, he said. They must focus on paying the rent and utilities.
“I think in a general sense, there is a large population percentage-wise of working families that find it hard to make ends meet,” Cox said. “A lot of families that we work with are working families. But they’re often working jobs that are the first to be lost if there is an economic shortage.”
Organizations such as St. Joseph’s in Gilroy, St. Benedict’s and Sacred Heart churches in Hollister, and St. Catherine’s Church in Morgan Hill are always open to receiving donated food items and new toys. Canned and non-perishable items are especially welcomed, Cox said.
His “wish list” for holiday foods includes: turkeys, canned yams, canned vegetables, stuffing mix, sugar (5 pounds), olives, flour (5 pounds), cooking oil, potatoes, celery, onions, chicken broth and new toys for children 10 years old and younger.
“Non-perishables are acceptable at any time,” Cox said. “Perishable items – such as fresh produce – are most welcome, but probably closer to the actual holidays.”
Children of needy families are particularly assisted by the generosity of the South Valley community.
“One of the things a lot of our families sacrifice is nutritious foods that their families need to remain healthy and for their children to remain sharp and attentive in schools,” Cox said.
In Hollister, St. Benedict’s Church and Sacred Heart Church also are getting ready to receive and distribute food to local families in need. Food bins are set up to collect non-perishable items at both church sites, said Natalie Velazquez, administrator at St. Benedict Church.
In early December, locals can start donating new toy items for children. Each church will set up Christmas trees which have names attached to the branches of local children and their toy preference, she said. The two churches also have “Adopt a Family” programs to aid locals in need, she said.
“We have families that have children and don’t really have anything for Christmas,” Velazquez said. “So people can adopt a family and give them their dinner for Christmas and toys for the children.”
The church provides the name and size of the family and participants can then either bring the meal and gifts to the family or leave them at the church for the family to pick up. The St. Vincent De Paul’s charity organization helps the churches get the names of needy families, she said.
In addition to the gift of food and toys, another part of holiday sharing is giving the gift of health. At this Saturday’s gift-basket sign up at St. Joseph’s, St. Louis Hospital volunteers will provide health screenings for needy people who come to sign up for the food baskets.
“Many of them don’t have access to health care on a regular basis,” said Vivian Smith, vice-president of public and community relations at St. Louis. “We’re also going to have some educators there, in particular diabetes educators, who will speak to people about diabetes and how to control it.”
These educators will be bilingual, speaking in English and Spanish, she said.
“The incidents of diabetes, especially among the Hispanic population, in the South Valley is high,” Smith said.
For people who are concerned about diabetes, the hospital offers a free Diabetes Education Class every month. Call 848-4939 for information or to register.
Items needed
Turkeys, canned yams, canned vegetables, stuffing mix, sugar (5 pounds), olives, flour (5 pounds), cooking oil, potatoes, celery, onions, chicken broth and new toys for children 10 years old and younger.
Where to drop off items
In Gilroy:
• St. Joseph’s Family Center
7950 Church St., Suite A
(at St. Mary Church)
Drop-off times: 8 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Tel. (408) 842-6662
In Hollister:
• St. Benedict’s Church
Toys (accepted beginning
of December)
1200 Fairview Road, Hollister
• Sacred Heart Church
Corner of Fifth and College streets
(831) 637-9212 or
(831) 637-9212
In Morgan Hill:
• St. Catherine’s Parish Reach-out Program
(just accepts food, not toys)
17400 Peak Ave.
(408) 779-3959
