GUEST OPINION:Readers helped raise $192,000 for nonprofits GUEST OPINION:Readers helped raise $192,000 for nonprofits (February 04, 2004)

By Sterling Speirn

Emergency housing. Clean clothes for a pivotal job interview. Critical medical care. A balanced meal for a hungry family. Legal assistance with a first rental agreement or counseling for a pregnant teen.

These are just a few of the services that generous Almanac readers like you made possible by supporting the 2003 Holiday Fund.

During the month of December, you probably read about the Almanac Holiday Fund and learned about a few of the critical nonprofit organizations it supports. This year, 227 Almanac readers contributed $97,278 to the fund -- almost $8,000 more than in 2002.

But the magic of the Holiday Fund is that Almanac readers aren't acting alone. With $100,000 in matching funds from Peninsula Community Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Rotary Club of Menlo Park and other generous local foundations and philanthropists, a total of nearly $192,000 will be shared among 10 nonprofit beneficiaries.

This year's Almanac Holiday Fund recipients include: the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula, Clara-Mateo Alliance, Family Support Center of the Mid-Peninsula, Lytton Gardens, Second Harvest Food Bank, Shelter Network, Ravenswood Family Health Center, St. Anthony's Padua Dining Room, Teen Pregnancy Coalition of San Mateo County, and Youth & Family Enrichment Services. All donations go directly to support programs within our community and, with your help, these organizations will continue their good works in 2004.

For the past 11 years, Peninsula Community Foundation and the Almanac have partnered in this annual drive to provide funding for local health care, job training, housing and food programs. The Peninsula Community Foundation's mission is to support the urgent needs and connect the people, ideas and resources on the Peninsula and the Silicon Valley. The Holiday Fund is just one way in which we are working to make this community a better place today and for generations to come. To learn more about Peninsula Community Foundation's other services, from scholarship funds to charitable estate planning, please visit www.pcf.org.

Looking to the year ahead, the social sector will face tremendous challenges on local and national levels - all while people living in our community will still need emergency shelter, food and medical care. By supporting the 10 nonprofits benefited by this year's Holiday Fund, you are ensuring that at least one more parent, child, teenager or family gets the support they need.

Thank you for caring.

Sterling Speirn is president of the Peninsula Community Foundation.

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