Benefit raises $34,000 for center to match workers with jobs
Hundreds packed into St. Catherine’s Parish Hall in Morgan Hill,
munching on plates of carnitas, filling all available tables and
overflowing out the door. On stage women swung colorful dresses
while dancing with men in huge sombreros as Ballet Folklorico
Cipriano Galindo performed.
Benefit raises $34,000 for center to match workers with jobs
Hundreds packed into St. Catherine’s Parish Hall in Morgan Hill, munching on plates of carnitas, filling all available tables and overflowing out the door. On stage women swung colorful dresses while dancing with men in huge sombreros as Ballet Folklorico Cipriano Galindo performed.
“It’s for the community,” said Jose Delgado while dispensing big spoonfuls of rice and meat near the hall’s kitchen.
On a table in the corner a silent auction was taking place. Among the items people were bidding on was a round of golf, a one night stay in the bungalows at CordeValle Golf Club and dinners cooked by Morgan Hill City Council members Steve Tate and Hedy Chang.
The effort helped raise more than $34,000 for creation of a job match center for day workers in Morgan Hill. The goal is to create a safe place where workers will be matched with members of the community who would like to hire them for temporary jobs.
“There’s been a lot of abuses,” says Mario Banuelos, a member of the day worker committee who has been bringing coffee and bread to workers where they congregate on the corner of Main Avenue and Depot Street in Morgan Hill. “We do it because there’s a need. Day workers have a lot of challenges.”
Now after three years of meetings organizers are seeing their dream become a reality.
“This is a big step,” said Julian Mancias, chairman of the committee. “Beyond the money we have the communities support.”
“Tonight is proof of that,” said Mancias, looking around the packed hall.
Mancias thinks the support for the center is a gauge of how special Morgan Hill is.
“There are very few communities in the U.S. who would back up a center for day workers,” said Mancias.
