Holiday Fund: Other agencies that offer food, shelter to the needy Holiday Fund: Other agencies that offer food, shelter to the needy (December 01, 2004)

The following agencies also provide food and shelter to those in need. They are not part of the Holiday Fund, so gifts and checks should be sent directly to the organization. All need gifts of money. Most have wish lists that include food, clothing and volunteers.
@text**Bread of Life EPA serves meals to some 250 people per day, including homeless, families with young children, shut-in seniors, children, working poor, and recently unemployed, four days a week; it also has a clothes closet, and special activities for children. To reach: Bread of Life EPA, 1852 Bay Road, East Palo Alto; 326-9797. Send donations to P.O. Box 52070, East Palo Alto, CA 94303.
@text** InnVision/Clara-Mateo Alliance provides a year-round shelter and support for homeless individuals, couples, and families on the campus of the Veterans Administration Hospital in Menlo Park, through four programs: a 65-bed co-ed shelter for individuals and couples; a 12-unit family shelter; 35 units of transitional housing; and the Elsa Segovia drop-in center for women and children. To reach: Clara-Mateo Alliance, 795 Willow Road, Building 323-D, Menlo Park, CA 94025; 853-7065; www.clara-mateo.org. Send donations made out to Clara-Mateo Alliance to InnVision, 974 Willow St., San Jose, CA 95125.
@text** Ecumenical Hunger Program provides emergency food, clothing, household essentials, and sometimes financial assistance to families in need, regardless of religious preference, including Christmas baskets for 1,400 households. Special needs at this season include blankets, coats, and warm new clothes; other clothes welcome after New Year's. To reach: Contact Ecumenical Hunger Program, 2411 Pulgas Avenue, East Palo Alto, CA 94303; 323-7781; www.ehpcares.org.
@text** St. Francis Center helps about 500 families per month with services ranging from food and clothes to showers and laundry; it operates a literacy program, a community garden, a 24-unit apartment for low-income families; and it provides gifts to almost 500 families at a Christmas party. To reach: Contact Sister Christina Heltsley, St. Francis Center, 101 Buckingham Ave, Redwood City, CA 94063; send donations to P.O. Box 7134; 365-7829; www.stfrancisrwc.org.
@text** The Urban Ministry of Palo Alto , a division of InnVision, provides food, shelter, clothing, care, and counseling to homeless and low-income people on the Midpeninsula. Each year it provides 29,000 free hot meals, 19,000 bags of groceries, and 4,800 nights of housing through a shelter that rotates among Palo Alto and Menlo Park churches. Other services include a morning drop-in center, housing referrals, a clothing closet, transportation vouchers, and an emergency assistance program. To reach: Contact Brooke Scharnke, 853-8697. Send donations to P.O. Box 702, Palo Alto, CA 94302; www.umpa.org.
@text** The Veterans Emergency Social Work Fund meets emergency needs of some 400 or 500 veterans each year at the Menlo Park Veterans Hospital, who are in-patients or out-patients awaiting admission, relocation, or discharge. To reach: Contact Frank Schleifer, Voluntary Services, Veterans Hospital, 795 Willow Road, Menlo Park, 94025; 617-2753.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.