EDITORIAL: Consider a gift to the Holiday Fund EDITORIAL: Consider a gift to the Holiday Fund (December 03, 2003)

Almanac readers who want to support local nonprofit groups can double their money by donating to the Holiday Fund during the next four weeks. It is a great way to ensure that your charitable donations are working right here at home.

Ten local agencies that serve families and children are struggling to make ends meet this year -- one of the toughest on record due to high unemployment and lower-than-needed contributions. Through a partnership with a number of local foundations, the Almanac hopes to raise more than $100,000 this year to support the local agencies and the people who benefit from their services.

With contributions of matching funds from the Packard, Hewlett, and Blue Oak foundations, as well as Oracle Corp. and the Rotary Club of Menlo Park, the Almanac expects all tax-deductible contributions to be doubled in size.

During the Holiday Fund campaign, which began last week and will run through December 31, the Almanac will publish articles about 10 agencies that serve Menlo Park and the surrounding communities, urging readers to make donations. Contributions from readers and the foundations will be split evenly among the 10 agencies.

As in prior years, the Almanac will publish a coupon each week to advise readers how to make a donation to the fund. And on occasion over the next few weeks, the names of donors who choose to make their contribution public will be published in the Almanac.

All donations made to the campaign will be processed by the Peninsula Community Foundation. In February, the foundation will issue checks to each of the nonprofit organizations. No fees or other charges will be taken from any donations, meaning that 100 percent of the total will go directly to the 10 designated nonprofit agencies.

This year the Almanac's Holiday Fund will help:

** The Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula, which provides after-school support for 1,100 young people, ages 6 to 18.

** Clara Mateo Alliance, a year-round shelter that provides support for homeless individuals, couples and families.

** Family Support Center of the Mid-Peninsula, which provides counseling, referral and support to families in need.

** Lytton Gardens, a community for older Palo Alto and Menlo Park adults that offers housing, health care and support.

** Ravenswood Family Health Center, which provides medical and human services to East Palo Alto residents.

** Second Harvest Food Bank, the largest collector and distributor of food on the Peninsula.

** Shelter Network, which provides short- and long-term transitional housing for more than 1,000 homeless people on the Peninsula.

** St. Anthony's Padua Dining Room, which serves hundreds of hot meals to people in need six days a week.

** Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition, which provides educational programs for youth in partnerships with educators and community leaders.

** Youth and Family Enrichment Services, which serves runaway and homeless youth, and offers programs in substance abuse and youth development.

We urge you to join other Almanac readers this year in supporting the Holiday Fund. With your help, we can give a major boost to the nonprofit agencies that work hard year-round to help the less fortunate in our community.

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