Community Solutions’ ‘Holiday Giving Program’ serves more than
500 South County residents in need
Morgan Hill – The holiday “giving tree” has returned to City Hall, encouraging residents to donate toys, food and other essential items for needy families.
The tree is one of many that are part of South County nonprofit Community Solutions’ annual “Holiday Giving Program” that started more than 25 years ago with the simple idea of giving gift baskets to 35 families. The program helps more than 200 families today – many of whom use the agency’s array of social services.
Donors help members of mostly low-income families by taking a paper ornament from the “giving tree” and donating the item listed on the back. The items are returned to the tree in gift-wrapped boxes.
Commonly requested items include diapers, blankets, room heaters, games, laundry soap and socks and underwear.
In addition to the tree at City Hall, several private companies in Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Hollister administer their own “giving trees.” Community Solutions asks the companies – and the city of Morgan Hill – to sponsor a certain number of families by encouraging donations from employees.
“We are a rich community in so many ways, but there are so many families that are hidden in silence,” said Nancy Neyer-Kinoshita, who initiated the Holiday Giving Program in the late 1970s after being hired by Community Solutions. “I love the giving spirit of the holidays, and I challenge the community to continue that giving spirit year round.”
The deadline for placing gifts under the giving tree at City Hall is Dec. 5. Volunteers then will take the presents to a warehouse where they will be distributed later in the month.
In addition to utilizing “giving trees,” the holiday drive encourages direct sponsorship of families that includes purchasing gifts for each family member, giving a box of non-perishable food and providing a gift card to a local grocery store.
“More and more donors have been requesting that,” said Lisa DeSilva, director of development for Community Solutions. “I think they like the more personal connection they feel when they were adopting a whole family.”
Each Morgan Hill city department is adopting at least one family this year, with the police and public works departments each sponsoring two.
DeSilva said the city of Morgan Hill is aware of the needs of marginalized families and is “trying to reach out with their generosity and caring.”
Seeing poor families endure the holidays without much love and support from others inspired Neyer-Kinoshita to start distributing gift baskets with the help of her co-workers.
“It just grew and grew and grew, until we were able to meet the needs of a lot more families,” said Neyer-Kinoshita, who is Jewish. “(Christmas) is not a holiday I celebrate, but it makes me sad to think so many families can’t afford to have a happy holiday.”
While the program has grown tremendously, DeSilva said it is not as big as it needs to be to help all families within the Community Solutions network.
“But it is as big as we’re able to manage it with the volunteer resources we have,” she said. “It’s a huge undertaking.”
Tony Burchyns covers Morgan Hill for The Times. Reach him at (408) 779-4106 ext. 201 or tburchyns@morganhilltimes.
