Today, Rafael and Juana Trujillo will see their Fourth Street
home, a bright baby blue one-story house, painted for the first
time in 15 years.
Hollister – Today, Rafael and Juana Trujillo will see their Fourth Street home, a bright baby blue one-story house, painted for the first time in 15 years.
“They’re really happy about it,” Rueben Trujillo said of his parents. “They’re going to paint it a nice, light cocoa brown.”
The Trujillos’ home near downtown Hollister, where they have lived for 42 years, was one of three homes selected by local sponsors of the Paint the Town Red fund-raiser, which raises money to paint the homes of senior citizens on fixed incomes. Sponsored by the San Benito Association of Realtors, Paint the Town Red raises money through the sale of cookbooks local realtors and their affiliates put together and sell for $10 each.
The association has about 210 members, about 40 of which are affiliates, or people who support the association. The affiliates were the ones who did most of the work putting the book together, according to Marilyn Ferreira, president of the San Benito Association of Realtors.
So far this year, the project has sold about 700 cookbooks, she said.
The money raised will be used to paint the Trujillos’ and two other homes over the next six months, Ferreira said.
“They are on a fixed income and have a real need to have their house painted,” said Ferreira. “We’re just realtors trying to give back to the community, and the community has been very good to us. We’re trying to help seniors because they’re a part of the population that no one really reaches out to.”
When the Association was looking for candidates in need of a new coat of paint for their houses, Ferreira turned to City Councilwoman Pauline Valdivia, who also works for the Jovenes de Antano Senior Center.
“The Trujillos were put on the list because they are home owners, which a lot of our seniors aren’t, but they really don’t have the resources (to paint their house). Also, they live right down town, so it really helps to make the neighborhood beautiful,” said Valdivia.
Judy Goularte, who owns Hollister Paint, is donating the paint for the projects.
“I just feel it’s a really nice feeling that we get when we give to people in need, and these people are in need. And when people come to Fourth Street, we want them to see that this is a nice little community,” she said.
The Association of Realtors cookbook is still available through local realtors.
Jessica Quandt is a staff writer for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at jq*****@fr***********.com.
