St. Joseph's Family Center
Food Room and Lord's Table
by the Gilroy Compassion Center (GCC)
in partnership with others.
According to Jan Bernstein Chargin,
Board Chair of GCC, “Two proposed
parks would each be comprised of
roughly 200 tiny homes with a central
facility providing internet connectivity, a
laundry, restrooms, showers and a club-
house, as well as onsite support services
like needs assessment; healthcare, social
and legal services; vocational training
and self-supporting commercial
initiatives.
Chargin credits John Taft, a Realtor
with RJ Dyer, with bringing the tiny
home park concept to life. “He had the
right skill set and the heart for this. He’s
been passionate about being involved in
a solution to homelessness.
“It will take a public-private
partnership and the community as a
whole to develop, manage and operate
the Compassion Parks,” she added.
GCC provides case management as
well as food, clothing, and a variety of
services to people in need in the Gilroy
community.
Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen
Founded in 1980, Loaves & Fishes
delivers nearly 2,500 meals a week to the
hungry in Gilroy and Morgan Hill. Hot
nutritious meals are prepared by kitchen
staff in Morgan Hill and delivered around
the county by over 4,500 volunteers
(nearly 300 in South County). Local
partners include Community Solutions
and Rebekah Children’s Services.
Gisela Bushey, CEO of Loaves &
Fishes, described the need for corpo-
rate support: “We’d love to have food
producers and distributors donate fresh
fruits and vegetables. For most of the
people we serve, the meal we provide is
the only meal they get that day.”
Kaiser Aims for Impact
part of the Foundation’s Cecelia’s Closet
program, it will serve hospital patients
in need of clothing upon discharge from
the hospital.
According to Cecelia Ponzini, founder
and CEO of the Foundation, “Kaiser
is keeping people healthy, they’re not
in the clothing business. That’s where
we come in. If someone arrives at the
hospital in soiled clothing, the hospital
provides temporary paper clothing when
they’re discharged. We can provide clean
clothes so patients, including those who
are homeless, can leave the hospital
with dignity. That’s how we know we’re
making a difference.”
Cecelia’s Closet and Food Pantry
continue to offer food and clothing for
families and children in need in South
County.
Serving Homeless Vets
The shift from military to civilian life
can be difficult. Veterans without jobs,
support systems, or homes to come back
to may be uncomfortable asking for
help. If they’re suffering from physical or
emotional trauma they may isolate them-
selves and fall into substance abuse. All
this puts them at risk of homelessness.
To serve these veterans, the Palo Alto
Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (VA)
formed a special partnership with One
Step Closer Therapeutic Riding (OSC),
a Morgan Hill nonprofit that provides
equine-assisted therapy.
Kaiser Welcomes Cecelia’s Closet
According to Rebecca Lesnik, Lead
At the local level, the Edward Boss
Recreation Therapist for the VA, “Our
Prado Foundation was invited by Kaiser
clients are transformed by spending
Permanente to establish a storage area for time around horses. When our veterans
donated clothing at the San Jose Medical are busy working with the horses, the
Center emergency care building. As
walls come down. They’re more open
In May 2018, Kaiser Permanente pledged
$200 million to fight homelessness. The
organization’s goal: preventing displace-
ment or homelessness of lower- and
middle-income households.
According to Bechara Choucair, MD,
and Kaiser Permanente’s chief community
health officer, “As a family physician, I’ve
provided medical care to the homeless,
and have seen first-hand the impact that
living without a home can have on some-
one’s health.”
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018
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