San Benito County Community Service & Support Articles

Billionaires now own Twitter, Facebook and numerous other online and offline media outlets. But there are other information sources not run by the super-rich. We've found a few and listed them here.

Author presents book on historic Dunne family On Sept. 24 at 2pm, the Gilroy Historical Society will present author Kevin Akers at the Gilroy Library, speaking about his book “The Dunnes of Brittas,” a fictionalized account of a local family.   …

Students and teachers had big smiles on their faces as they perused boxes of supplies at Hollister School District sites last week.  That’s because they were picking from donated supplies ranging from backpacks and binders to calculators and pencils. The …

Wafelbakker Anderson Orthodontics presented $2,000 scholarships to five seniors from area high schools. In Hollister, Julien Garcia of San Benito High School received a scholarship. Wafelbakker Anderson Orthodontics’ history of philanthropy dates back to 1988 when Dr. Bas W. Wafelbakker …

Headed by the San Juan Bautista Rotary and the Aromas-San Juan Community Schools Foundation, a coalition of community groups have raised $40,000 needed to secure a $200,000 federal grant to upgrade equipment to provide internet to local schools. The 4-1 …

California’s first-in-the-nation task force to identify reparations said business loans, housing grants, tuition, wage and job protections could provide redress for African Americans.

An anonymous $40,000 donation made to Gavilan College recently was also the largest one-time gift it has ever received, according to the college. The check, which arrived in April, was addressed to President/Superintendent Kathleen Rose. The donation seemed at first …

The San Benito County Chamber Foundation and Pinnacles National Park are organizing the first-ever virtual Pinnacles National Park Adventure Run.  The public is invited to hike, walk or run anywhere from 5k to 10k throughout the year, with the goal …

The Community Foundation for San Benito County has awarded a $5,000 grant to Dentistry4Vets, a nonprofit that treats military veterans in need and suffering from a lack of dental care. Dentistry4Vets, which is located at The Montage Wellness Center in …

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new CARE Court plan aims to get homeless Californians experiencing mental health problems into treatment and off the street. But can it actually work?

Californians have the perfect opportunity to remember César Chávez by making March 31 a day of service.

Christopher Perez of Hollister is being recognized for his service to the National Civilian Community Corps as part of AmeriCorps week, which takes place March 13-19.  The NCCC is a 10-month, full-time AmeriCorps program, says a press release. Founded in …

The latest installment of “Project Revitalize” in downtown Hollister is nearly complete after the Epicenter opened its doors last week.   Community Foundation for San Benito County President/CEO Gary Byrne was the official tour guide Feb. 12, allowing the public to …

The Community FoodBank of San Benito County announced that CEO Nancy Fruestta has stepped down from her position. The FoodBank’s Board of Directors issued a press release Feb. 2 thanking Frusetta for the work she did in the past 18 …

Daniel Martinez hops out of his black Cadillac SRX and nods toward me, chatting enthusiastically on his cellphone. Around San Jose, he’s known to many as the gregarious, insult-slinging battle-rapper and podcast host Dirtbag Dan, but there’s no trace of …

After 10 years-plus of working for the Central Coast YMCA in a variety of positions, Robin Schnekenburger of Hollister now finds herself as executive director of the Watsonville Family YMCA. “This is the last branch, there’s no more,” she joked, …

The Community FoodBank of San Benito County typically has a steady stream of volunteers who put in thousands of countless hours worth of work per year.   However, there seems to be a critical shortage of assistance that could potentially jeopardize …

The American Red Cross is facing its worst blood shortage in more than a decade—a dilemma the organization calls a “national blood crisis”—and is pleading with people to donate blood. “Dangerously low blood supply levels are posing a concerning risk …

A conversation with Stacy Caldwell, CEO of the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation.

Community service districts can do most anything a city government can do. Here’s how they work and how to start one.