CARING FOR THE DEAD
“I’m a Morgan Hill resident and I just recently attended Mount Hope Memorial Park on Spring Avenue. I was surprised of what I saw there. It looks as if nobody has done anything to help with the upkeep of the cemetery. The grass in some areas was dead and there were weeds all over. There were headstones that had fallen over and were lying on the ground … nobody had bothered to pick them up. Who is responsible for the preservation of our city cemetery and what are they planning to do about this?”
RED PHONE
The Red Phone sympathizes with you. There is no better way to honor our loved ones who have died than with a scenic surrounding. The Crimson Crusader contacted the Habing Family Funeral Home in Gilroy which owns Mount Hope Memorial Park in Morgan Hill. Jim Habing, co-owner, said that it’s currently looking to hire a landscaper who will water and mow the lawns and pull weeds. In the meantime, landscaping duties have been left to personnel within the company who tend to it when they have free time. According to Habing, some of the older headstones have broken and fallen over due to past earthquakes and vandalism. Habing said they don’t have the money to fix every headstone so it is basically up to the families of the deceased to put money into preserving them. In the past, some headstones have been vandalized with graffiti and Habing Family has cleaned them up. To apply for a landscaping job with the Habing Family Funeral Home call (408) 847-4040. The funeral home owns three cemeteries and is looking for someone to possibly look after all three.
TOILETRies FOR HOMELESS
“I collect small, unopened shampoos, conditioners, soaps, toothbrushes, etc. from several people who travel quite a bit on business and get these from their hotels. In the past I have taken these to Community Solutions in Gilroy for distribution at their shelter. To eliminate this drive, I called the Morgan Hill office on Church Street, but they were not sure they could handle them.
“Is there another charitable organization in our area that help people that could use these? I can take them to San Jose, but there’s that drive again … Thank you.”
RED PHONE
It is very thoughtful of you to want to donate toiletries to those less fortunate. The Red Phone talked to personnel at Community Solutions on Church Street and they told us that though their office might be overwhelmed with donations, they still have several agencies within their organization that would welcome your donations. Some of these agencies in Morgan Hill offer mental health, transitional housing and domestic violence prevention services for young men and women. We’re sure they would definitely use the donations. Contact Community Solutions at (408) 778-4872.
The James Boccardo Family Living Center at 13545 Monterey Road in San Martin is another organization worthy of consideration. Its services include individualized case management, life skills education, children’s education, recreation programs, and more. This facility also offers emergency shelter and migrant farm worker housing, so we’re sure your donations would be appreciated. Also, you can donate to the Learning and Loving Education Center located at 16890 Church St. in Morgan Hill. Unfortunately, it is closed until Aug. 30, but it will be accepting donations at that time. For more information on the Loving and Learning Education Center, you can log onto www.learningandloving.org.
When something gets your goat and you need to some answers, remember the Red Phone is here to help. Contact us at (408) 779-4106, ext. 206, or e-mail re******@*************es.com. Remember to leave a name and phone number when you call or e-mail. The Red Phone will not publish this information and will only use it for verification purposes.
