Holiday Fund: Clothing, counseling for people in need Holiday Fund: Clothing, counseling for people in need (December 10, 2003)

By David Boyce

Almanac Staff Writer

When a young child is cold and in need of a coat, the coat's pedigree is probably not the highest priority. A hand-me-down will do if that's what's available.

There are plenty of moms in southern San Mateo County who won't be found browsing store racks for new clothes for their children. Many of them will turn to the nonprofit Family Support Center of the Mid-Peninsula in East Palo Alto for their clothing needs.

Providing clothing for low-income and disadvantaged families of East Palo Alto, Belle Haven and Menlo Park is one of many free services offered at the Family Support Center. Families in need will also find counseling, parent training, legal assistance, health care, child care and referrals there, all designed to encourage self-sufficiency.

Last year, the center managed 934 cases, over half of which were single mothers, says Executive Director Toni Wallace. Of the 3,137 people served, 75 percent were children, most under 5 years old, Ms. Wallace says.

The center helps the elderly as well as young families. Ms. Wallace recalls one man whose Social Security checks were being stolen. The center stepped in and managed his money for him for two years until finding him a place in senior housing, she says.

For the 12 months ending June 30, the center's budget was $550,000, with funding sources split about evenly between the county, foundation grants and donations. Most of the money went to pay the salaries of the center's 10-member staff, Ms. Wallace says.

Staff counselors include two social workers and a marriage and family therapist. The center usually has two or three unpaid social-worker interns in training as well. "To provide quality services, you have to have people with some formal training," she says.

DeVry University interns volunteer their technical expertise to address the center's information technology needs, Ms. Wallace says.

The clothing and other goods the center distributes are all donated. Recently, the community service group One Warm Coat donated about 80 coats to the center, Ms. Wallace says. Cash and in-kind donations have been down for the past two years, but have been picking up lately, she says.

The center has limited storage space but accepts grocery store gift certificates, clothing, toys, computers, household items and cars in running condition.

The year ahead for the center is not looking promising financially, with talk in Sacramento of cuts in health and social service programs. "I'm kind of unsettled about what's going to happen in January when they re-do the budget," Ms. Wallace says.

The people who may be hurt the most -- the poor and disadvantaged -- "are the people that we work with ... to try to move out of poverty," she says. "It's scary. It's really scary."
INFORMATION

For more information, call 322-1821 or go to www.fscmp.org or write to Family Support Center of the Mid-Peninsula, 1798-B Bay Road, East Palo Alto, CA 94303.

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