Like countless other offices, Hollister School District
employees have exchanged Christmas gifts for years. But this year
they decided to do something different
– extend their generosity to strangers and collect toys for
needy children in the area.
Hollister – Like countless other offices, Hollister School District employees have exchanged Christmas gifts for years. But this year they decided to do something different – extend their generosity to strangers and collect toys for needy children in the area.
On Monday, their gifts were distributed to homeless kids during a Christmas party at the San Benito County Migrant Labor Camp, located off Southside Road.
“I know lots of families who can’t afford to buy their children gifts this year,” said Desiree Dominguez, a personnel analyst at the district office who is one of the people behind the effort. “This is one small thing we could do.”
The county-run labor camp has been holding the Christmas party for 13 years, as a way to bring a little bit of joy to families feeling the pinch during the holidays. They serve food, hand out over 200 presents and treat the kids to the most anticipated part of the event – a visit with Santa.
The school district is only one of numerous organizations that donated gifts to 75 children staying at the shelter. Pacific Scientific, Sacred Heart and Trinidad churches and Moms and Kids, a local non-profit, also contributed to the toys while others gave gifts to adults, such as gift certificates to Kmart, donated by Loaves and Fishes.
All people at the camp, run by the Department of Community Services and Workforce Development Agency, are homeless and will stay there until the end of March. Many are migrant workers, who ran out of money and could not afford to follow the harvest to other parts of the state. Others were staying with friends, but left when they overstayed their welcome.
Now they are grateful to have a warm place to stay and get help finding affordable housing and a job. One of them is Jeanette Narvaez, who had spent Thanksgiving sleeping in her car with her six-year-old son Victor. When a place at the camp opened up, she moved there and is thankful for the opportunity to get her life back on track.
“I have never known such a program that helps you with housing and then gives you the money back (the reduced cost rent) when you move out,” she said.
Camp residents pay rent depending on income, which is returned to them once they move out of the facility.
Narvaez is six months pregnant with a second child and is optimistic about life after the camp. With help from camp staff, she has already gotten in touch with several temporary agencies and is making calls on apartments in the area.
Ines Mora, 44, was also at the Christmas party, relaxing with his family over pizza, hot-dogs and cupcakes. Mora is from the Mexican state of Coahuila and has been coming to Hollister for four years. He recently brought his wife and two daughters with him to stay at the camp. The girls are enrolled in local schools, but still haven’t learned English.
“There is definitely more help here than in Mexico,” said Mora. “We are grateful for this.”
Families are allowed to stay at the camp either three or six months, depending on need, and receive help finding jobs and permanent housing. With the high housing costs, the number of homeless families in San Benito County has increased, said Carmen Betancourt, a case worker for Community Services and Workforce Development.
“Some people have had their homes condemned and others have overstayed their welcome at family and friends’ houses and had to move on,” she said.
Approximately 260 families are on the waiting list for the labor camp, which runs the only homeless shelter in the county.
Karina Ioffee covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at (831)637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected].
