Community Corner

Gilroy Hosts Second-Annual United Way Breakfast

The organization provides more than $200,000 a year to help fund South County aid agencies.

Miguel Gomez, a volunteer at in Gilroy, said he was a little nervous when he took to the podium. His connection to South County philanthropy was very personal.

“I used to stay under the bridge, right here on Leavesley,” he said, gesturing out the expansive windows of the Gilroy Elks Lodge.

More than 150 people, including the mayors of both Gilroy and Morgan Hill, were listening intently. For eight years, Gomez said, he was homeless and struggling with drug addiction.

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“St. Joseph’s helped me get my dignity back,” said Gomez, who is now in his second semester at , clean and living with a roof over his head. “If it weren’t for organizations like this, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

Gomez received a standing ovation at the second-annual United Way Silicon Valley South County breakfast Thursday, an early-morning event highlighting the organization’s programs in the region.

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More than $200,000 of aid from United Way, nearing its 100-year anniversary, goes to South County organizations, according to spokeswoman Caitlin Kerk. Much of that money goes to Gilroy.

“Gilroy has been very hard hit by the recession. There’s no shortage to people in need,” said Carol Leigh Hutton, president and CEO of United Way Silicon Valley.

Gilroy Mayor Al Pinheiro and Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate introduced the event, which took place last year in Morgan Hill. Tate, who said he has donated to the organization for 45 years, serves on United Way Silicon Valley’s board of directors.

“It was just something that was expected,” he said, recalling how he and fellow IBM employees had their donations automatically deducted from their paycheck.

More than a quarter of the aid from United Way goes to St. Joseph’s Family Center, helping to fund initiatives like the brown-bag lunch program and the one-time emergency assistance that has helped people avoid eviction.

More than 5,300 South County residents have received help with food in the second half of last year, Kerk said.

Other organizations that benefit include Rebekah Children Services, Vision Literacy and Community Solutions.

Frank Hernandez, who developed a computer skills curriculum for Vision Literacy, spoke of its importance.

“To apply for a job, whatever it is, you need to know something about computers,” he said.

“What we’re doing is to help people help themselves reach self-sufficiency,” Hutton said. “We believe that every person has the right to earn a living for themselves and their family.”

Both mayors Pinheiro and Tate received certificates from the state Assembly that commemorate their work to help combat poverty in the South County.

Gilroy has the highest per-capita rate of homelessness in Santa Clara County, according to the County Collaborative on Homelessness, but programs like today’s Project Homeless Connect and United Way’s 211 hotline are helping to connect people with aid.

For those struggling with their finances, the organization also provides free tax preparation and financial advice. Last year, $5.7 million in tax returns went out to the county’s low-income families through the program.

“This can be $5,000 in the hands of a family of four,” said Hutton.

Members of the Gilroy City Council, Chamber of Commerce, police and the South County Council were just some of the attendees at the event.

Before announcing that the breakfast would return to Morgan Hill next year, president Hutton asked for attendees to continue to support United Way with their donations and to consider a one-time additional donation that morning.

“Conventional wisdom is that South County is a less expensive place to live, but even what we pay here is still exorbitant,” she said.

United Way is an international charity organization that supports and provides a wide variety of services to people in need.


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