Event to Offer Help and Services for Gilroy's Homeless

Board members, volunteers and spectators gathered at the Gilroy Compassion Center on Thursday to plan for the center's Project Homeless Connect event on Nov. 7.

The event is intended to provide the homeless with basic services, such as food, clothing and even haircuts – items that aren't necessarily costly or hard to come by, but that are too few and far between to meet the region's demand. 

“There are over 400 people homeless in Gilroy at a given point-in-time, and another 1,000 throughout South County,” the center's chairwoman, Jan Berstein Chargin wrote.

“Yet there are no year-round shelters within 30 miles, or even a day center where they can use the bathroom, get clean clothes and meet other basic needs.”

This realization motivated Bernstein Chargin and other compassion-center volunteers to hold such events, and to construct the compassion center—a nonprofit dedicated to developing a year-round shelter with basic services for the homeless.

November's event will offer a one-stop-shop opportunity for South County's homeless to take advantage of a multitude of essential services, ranging from mental health care to job training.

There will be more than a handful of booths occupied by representatives from South County Mental Health, Catholic Charities, Gavilan Cosmetology, Goodwill Veterans Services and .

There will be flu shots provided by Gardner Health, AIDS education by The Health Trust and food stamps from CalFRESH. Attendees will also receive a buffet-style lunch beginning at 12 p.m.

This will be the center's second project connect event, with the last one drawing in around 230 people, many of whom were families with children, Berstein Chargin said.

In order to adequately prepare for the event and the expected attendees, the center is looking for 50-plus volunteers, and are asking for monetary donations to help out with items such as water and food.

They're also collecting winter-weather garments to provide event attendees, and will be accepting donations for new and lightly-used items through the 7th.

All homeless people – anyone living in an area not attended for habitation, such as a car or those surfing from sofa-to-sofa – are welcome to attend.

Project Homeless Connect takes Place Nov. 7 at 12 p.m. at the Gilroy Compassion Center, located at 8425 Monterey St. in Gilroy.

VOLUNTERING:

Those interested in volunteering should contact Cheri Appleby at 408 665-5309. Donations can be dropped off at the compassion center Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The South County Derby Girls are also available to pickup donations of hats, jackets, scarfs and gloves, and can be reached at 408-634-TEAM for pickup.

Volunteers are asked to wear all black so they can be easily identified, and should show up at 11 a.m. to familiarize themselves with the participating organizations.

Monetary donations can be mailed via check to the compassion center,  P.O. Box 233 Gilroy, Ca. 95021, or delivered to Cheri Applyby at the above times. The check should be made out to the Gilroy Foundation, with the Gilroy Compassion Center written in the memo. Donations can also be made online, here.

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED FOR:

• greeters

• to help drive folks into the event

• to hand out giveaways and information

• to manage the lines

• to set up prior to the event

• to clean up after the event

• to direct people where to park

• eight volunteers are needed to help serve food

NEEDED DONATIONS INCLUDE:

• For the clothing drive—Any slightly worn winter-clothing items, including jackets, sweaters, jeans, scarves, ski caps, gloves, rain ponchos, umbrellas, clean backpacks, sleeping bags and blankets. New items like socks and underwear are also needed.

• For the center—toiletries like toothpaste, toothbrushes, hairbrushes, shampoo, soap, lotion, paper towels, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, tissue and the like. Carpet scraps (to cover the floor in the case of rain) are also needed.

• Monetary donations—to cover some needed food, water and napkins.