Thanks to generous donations from loyal customers of Rocca’s Market, more than 500 South County families in need will have a turkey on their Thanksgiving dinner table this week.
Dan Keith, general manager of San Martin-based Rocca’s Market, organized the donation to St. Joseph’s Family Center, which he delivered to the nonprofit Nov. 16. But he gave credit to his friends and customers who donated money for the charitable effort.
“I asked if people wanted to make donations and a lot of people came through,” Keith said. “It’s a community effort, and I happen to be in a good spot at Rocca’s.”
The gift of more than 500 turkeys—purchased through the market’s supplier—builds on a similar donation effort for last year’s Thanksgiving. In 2020 at around this time, Keith raised enough money to buy and donate 200 turkeys to St. Joseph’s, which is based in Gilroy.
Vicky Martin, of St. Joseph’s Family Center, said the nonprofit is thankful for the donation from Rocca’s. The birds will be distributed to many of the 1,500 families St. Joseph’s expects to serve with all the grocery fixings for a traditional Thanksgiving meal this week.
“This gets us a third of the way there, and that is absolutely amazing,” Martin said.
Martin said while the demand for food has grown significantly for the holidays—largely due to Covid-19—there is always a need for food and monetary donations.
“Hunger is year-round,” Martin said. “This is a time when people think about it because it’s a season of giving and being thankful, but we see this need year-round. We serve this many families (about 1,500) every week.”
St. Joseph’s Family Center’s mission is, partially, “to alleviate hunger and homelessness in South Santa Clara County by providing food, housing and employment related services, and advocating for system changes to improve the quality of life for the most vulnerable people in our communities,” says the nonprofit’s website.
The nonprofit is located at 7950 Church St. in Gilroy. For more information, including how to donate online or in person, visit the St. Joseph’s Family Center website at stjosephsgilroy.org.
