Santa Clara County Community Service & Support Digest

Read on for details about how your donation to the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund will help them reach their goal of $700,000.

Learn more about the annual fundraising day on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, this year falling on December 3.

As part of the celebration of their 100th anniversary, the Los Gatos Rotary Club is funding a new oak grove in Live Oak Manor park.

The nonprofit Community Services Agency has been preparing to provide more services for homeless residents of Mountain View, Los Alto and Los Altos Hills following Governor Newsom's order to agencies to clear camps from state property.

Beginning Monday, 150 households in Fresno County are expected to receive a $500 prepaid card to spend on anything they’d like — no strings attached. It will be the first of 12 monthly recurring payments those Southwest Fresno and Huron residents will receive as part of a guaranteed basic income program for low-income families.

Gov. Gavin Newsom launched the community school initiative with $4.1 billion in grants to connect students and their families to medical care, counseling and other services.

Housing, climate change and inequity were among the topics for discussion as local community leaders met to discuss the most pressing needs in the region.

Hundreds of volunteers have signed up to participate in painting a mural on San Pedro Street in downtown San Jose.

While Bay Area residents have criticized PG&E for not being better prepared for power outages, Los Gatos residents are increasingly turning to their community for help. Enter Mark Zhang, a “prepper” of sorts who collects supplies in the event of a natural disaster or emergency.

Avenidas CEO Amy Yotopoulos announced Feb. 9 that she is resigning as leader of Palo Alto’s senior center, ending a seven-year tenure at Avenidas in mid-June.

From all over the Bay Area, bingo players flock to Milpitas Charity Bingo, citing its ultra-friendly staff and volunteers, cleanliness, and fun atmosphere.

The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley received a much-appreciated infusion of funding over the holidays: a $3.4 million gift from philanthropist and Amazon shareholder MacKenzie Scott.

County leaders may limit how much money they give to nonprofit groups and projects serving low-income neighborhoods in light of looming budget challenges.

The nonprofit group Mothers Against Murder is offering a $20,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest of the man who robbed at gunpoint a Taco Bell in south Palo Alto.

Lauded for its direct impact, a temporary cash assistance program has helped some of Mountain View’s most vulnerable residents meet their household needs, without stipulating how the money should be used.

A new Los Gatos commission is taking a look into how the town treats people who live and work there, and how it welcomes visitors.

In celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy, the African American Community Service Agency in San Jose aims to connect residents with educational and supportive services.

At the Avenidas Chinese Community Center, the Lunar New Year is more than a yearly tradition, it's become a celebration of freedom and community among elderly Chinese community members.

The Vietnamese American Democratic Club of Silicon Valley wants to be chartered within the Santa Clara County Democratic Party to organize and empower like-minded members within its community.

Sunnyvale Community Services (SCS) partnered with 40 local agencies to create the Winter Wellness Fair. Not only did families receive holiday gift cards and food, but it was a festive atmosphere that included health services along with a visit with Santa Claus.

“Progress remains slow,” according to a recent report on faculty diversity at California’s community colleges. For Nikia Chaney, the sole full-time Black faculty member at Cabrillo College, the experience is personal.

For Country Sun, the venerable organic produce store on California Avenue, the holiday season felt particularly festive this year after two customers stepped up to buy the market just as it was on the brink of closure.

Emery Unified took a targeted approach, including paying teachers extra to stay after school and tutor students.

Students in the MTC mentor program are from vulnerable populations who have significant stressors in their lives that impact their mental health and social and school engagement.

The Santa Clara Fire Department, in conjunction with the Firefighters Foundation, worked with the Santa Clara Unified School District to identify local families in need.

State audits of the University of California and the California State University found both systems have failed to comply with decades-old state and federal laws mandating the return of Native ancestral remains and cultural artifacts. Only UCLA and Cal State Long Beach have returned a majority of their collections.

For the past 25 years, Siobhan Kenney headed up food drives and gotten up on chilly Thanksgiving mornings to lead the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot. But in early 2024, she’ll be retiring from her position at Applied Materials.

The financial aid application for undocumented students is cumbersome and confusing, and many students aren’t completing the forms. A new law streamlines the process.

A Palo Alto family has made another $100,000 donation to the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund, its 13th year of supporting the campaign, which provides grants to local non-profits serving kids and families in need.

Federal funding for domestic violence shelters and housing programs is declining. Advocates want the state to step in, but with a record projected deficit new spending is unlikely.

It was a couple of years ago that Marvin Serber and his family had moved from New York to Milpitas. In September, after a New York trip, Serber showed up at a Milpitas City Council meeting to speak in favor of a menorah lighting celebration for the community.

Despite a few improvements, results show students are still struggling on several fronts.