San Benito County Local News: Community Service & Support

The San Benito Leadership Institute (SBLI) continues its mission to cultivate a group of diverse local leaders dedicated to making an impact on the community. As the current cohort nears the completion of their 9-month journey, SBLI is excited to open applications for the 2025-26 program year.

About 40 seniors share daily meals at the Pauline Valdivia Memorial Community Center in Hollister. Over half of them stay a little longer to play bingo. Observing the environment of companionship and laughter, one would not know the organization providing those services faces an uncertain future as it expects to lose two of its major funding sources.

For the last three years, the Community Foundation for San Benito’s Epicenter building in downtown Hollister has been a hub for nonprofit work and organizing.

Frankie Berlanga’s family business, El Nopal Panaderia and Tortilla Factory in Hollister, supplies about 14,000 fresh tortillas a year to the Community Food Bank of San Benito County—reliably providing a cultural staple for the kitchens and dinner tables of local families and residents in need.

More than 40 local organizations came together on March 1 to participate in Hollister Downtown Association’s Fourth Annual Youth Expo at the Veterans’ Memorial Building.

Hollister’s El Nopal Bakery is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Perhaps more importantly to families in need, it is also celebrating the fifth anniversary of its relationship with the Community FoodBank of San Benito County.

To help better serve the basic needs of food-insecure students and staff, Gavilan College has opened a free food pantry at the new Hollister Campus. Open three days a week, the well-stocked cubby is a collaboration between the college and the Community FoodBank of San Benito County, and was unveiled during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb. 25.

This month's Bingo Night for the San Benito County Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) organization was a full house. Roughly 150 people were in attendance for the fundraiser held at The Barn in Tres Pinos.

The Hollister School District held its inaugural Hollister Halftime Community Connections event Feb. 1 at Sunnyslope Elementary School.

Members of the San Benito Council of the League of United Latin American Citizens recently commented in support of a lawsuit filed by the group’s national chapter against President Donald Trump challenging his administration’s effort to end birthright citizenship in the U.S.

The Boy Scouts of San Juan Bautista’s Troop 428, founded in 1937, have once again lived up to the organization’s motto, “Be Prepared.” Already known for volunteering in the community at festivals and events and for close cooperation with the San Juan Service and Rotary Clubs, they have taken up the call to help victims of the Los Angeles fires by transforming 5-gallon plastic buckets into tools that can be used to sift through ashes for valuables.

Southern California is facing one of the most devastating wildfire seasons in recent history.
The Community Foundation for San Benito County has collected a list of vetted and trustworthy ways you can help your neighbors down south. Read on to learn more.

Gilroy Assistance League is accepting grant request applications through Feb. 21. The local nonprofit considers grant requests that directly benefit youth organizations, programs and schools in Gilroy, San Martin and Morgan Hill, says a press release from Gilroy Assistance League.

Local nonprofits providing services to residents are benefiting from Anderson Homes’ “Giving Back Starts at Home” promotion this year. The program donates to several organizations, helping them continue to serve San Benito County in 2025. According to the Anderson Homes website, the company donated $11,500 to nonprofits in Hollister, as well as $3,500 to nonprofits in Los Banos. BenitoLink received a $1,000 donation from the promotion.

Vicki Fortino, executive director of United for San Benito (USB), says she heard about the Dolly Parton Imagination Library from Linda Smith, superintendent of the Willow Grove Elementary School District.

The Hollister School District has once again partnered with Legacy Church to provide a brighter Christmas season for local families in need, and this year’s effort included a large increase in recipients.