Holiday Spirit
Posted Nov. 21, 2022

Annual Holiday Fund drive kicks off
Almanac's charitable giving campaign sends 100% of donations to local nonprofits

Lending a much-needed helping hand to those in crisis and strengthening our community have always been the aims of The Almanac Holiday Fund. The annual charitable giving drive is kicking off this week to support local nonprofits that serve children, families and individuals.

Donations from community members will enable Midpeninsula service organizations to bridge educational gaps, put food in hungry stomachs, ensure access to health care, step in with critically needed homeless services and more.

Every cent of every donation will go to these community agencies because The Almanac and its Holiday Fund partner, the nonprofit Silicon Valley Community Foundation, are absorbing all administrative costs to run the fund. All donations are tax-deductible.

This year, the Holiday Fund is supporting the following local nonprofits: Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula; Ravenswood Family Health Center; Ecumenical Hunger Program; Health Connected; LifeMoves; Literacy Partners; St. Anthony's Padua Dining Room; St. Francis Center; StarVista; and Upward Scholars.

Checks totaling more than $260,000 were handed out to representatives of 10 nonprofit organizations.

Contributions to the Holiday Fund will be matched this year, to the extent possible, by generous community organizations, foundations and individuals, including the Rotary Club of Menlo Park Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

"It gives us great joy to connect donors with grantees so that so much good work can be done to make lives better," said Bill Johnson, president of the Embarcadero Media Foundation.

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2024 Recipient Agency

Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula
Provides after-school academic support, enrichment, and mentoring for 1,800 low-income K-12 youth at nine locations across Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, and the North Fair Oaks neighborhood of Redwood City.

Ecumenical Hunger Program
Provides emergency food, clothing, household essentials, and sometimes financial assistance to families in need, regardless of religious preference, including Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets for more than 2,000 households.

Fair Oaks Community Center
The Fair Oaks Community Center provides social services to the residents of the neighborhood, including programs for seniors, immigrants, renters and the unhoused, as well as housing assistance, ESL classes and child care.

LifeMoves
Provides shelter/housing and supportive services across 18 sites in Silicon Valley and the Peninsula. Serves thousands of homeless families and individuals annually on their path back to permanent housing and self-sufficiency.

Literacy Partners
Supports literacy programs and projects through fundraising and community awareness. Helps community members enhance their reading, writing and related skills and education to improve their economic, professional and personal wellbeing.

Ravenswood Family Health Center
Provides primary medical and preventive health care for all ages at its clinic in East Palo Alto. Of the more than 17,000 registered patients, most are low-income and uninsured and live in the ethnically diverse East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, and North Fair Oaks areas.

St. Anthony's Padua Dining Room
Serves hundreds of hot meals six days a week to people in need who walk through the doors. Funded by voluntary contributions and community grants, St. Anthony's is the largest dining room for the needy between San Francisco and San Jose. It also offers take-home bags of food, as well as emergency food and clothing assistance.

Second Harvest Food Bank
Second Harvest Food Bank distributes nutritious food to low income individuals and families, leveraging every available food resource and collaborating with other organizations and people to feed the needy in the community.

StarVista
Serves more than 32,000 people throughout San Mateo County, including children, young people and families, with counseling, prevention, early intervention, education, and residential programs. StarVista also provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services including a 24-hour suicide crisis hotline, an alcohol and drug helpline, and a parent support hotline.

Upward Scholars
Upward Scholars empowers low-income adults by providing them with financial support, tutoring, and other assistance so they can continue their education, get higher-paying jobs, and serve as role models and advocates for their children.


As of November 30th, 39 donors have contributed $56,222 to the Holiday Fund.
* indicates amount withheld at donor's request

7 Anonymous12,550
John Donald and Elaine Hammond*
Lori & Dennis McBride*
Barb Jacobson150
John and Shirley Reiter150
Greg & Penny Gallo500
Marc & Mary Ann Saunders*
Colleen & Geoff Tate*
Jim & Karen Lewis*
Paul Perret1,000
Vicky Rundorff*
Don & Catherine Coluzzi*
Janet Buce Cook*
Barbara and Charles Preuss500
Karen Perlroth*
Karen Perlroth*
Paul Welander25
Dennis Ruby300
Sybille Katz*
Kayleen Miller200
Kurt & Sue Jaggers10,000
Cathy and Jim Koshland150
Mark and Karen Weitzel*
Sidney Chen & Sandra Lee Chen*
Bill Wohler462
Linda Craig and Evan Hughes250
Foody Family500
joyce castellino500
Michael & Leslie Crisp*
Connie & Bob Lurie1,000
Brandon Madison250
In Memory Of

Ruth & Chet Johnson*
Bob Mueller100