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Whether it’s a child entering preschool or a senior battling loneliness, Peninsula Family Service has quietly supported generations of Bay Area residents for 75 years. The nonprofit marked its milestone anniversary on May 1 with a celebration at the San Mateo County History Museum.
“We help all of the community, across generations, across age groups, because we know all people have needs, and we want to be there for them to make sure that they have the support to live healthy, stable lives,” service CEO Heather Cleary said in an interview at the event.
The nonprofit says it has more than 45 programs and reaches over 10,000 residents annually in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
PFS started in 1950 by providing talk therapy services to residents in San Mateo.
“When I came to the agency, (Peninsula Family Service was called Peninsula Family Agency at the time), we were a marriage, family and child counseling agency. We had six full-time counselors, and some part-time counselors. We soon found that there was a huge demand, but there was a demand for other things too. We had young women come in, they had one or two children and the father had disappeared. They had no means of support,” said Don Cameron, who was CEO of the organization from 1969 to 1997.
In 1973, PFS had expanded to launching a network of family day care homes in Redwood City. With funding from the state and city, it trained mothers in nursery techniques and then hired them to operate child care services out of their homes. Low-income parents who were working or in workforce education programs could send their children to PFS at significantly reduced fees. Families were charged fees on a sliding scale by income. It later expanded to include infant care.
“It was very difficult because the family’s options were so limited. We decided to set up a child care program so those people could have someone taking care of their kids while they got job training or a job. It was the first time the agency had moved from just talk therapy to concrete services, and since then, it’s taken off,” Cameron said.
Today, PFS runs nine early learning centers, including two dedicated to families in emergency and transitional housing, in San Mateo County. Together they serve more than 400 children.
PFS also expanded to include financial education, and has employment services for people over 50. “We know that financial empowerment isn’t yet taught in schools so we need to support people with education about building assets and credit,” said Cleary.
She said PFS is piloting a program to assist graduating high school seniors who are going into trade jobs and include a financial literacy aspect.
“Peninsula Family Services is the leader of nonprofit, not just in San Mateo County, but I would say in the state. The work they’ve done, especially around loneliness, is critically important,” said San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President David Canepa.
“When San Mateo County declared loneliness a public health crisis, they worked with us in partnership to figure out how to reach people. San Mateo County is the third wealthiest county in the country. The county did a survey of residents and found that 50% feel lonely. There’s something wrong with that,” Canepa said. “There are a lot of peer counselors here today and those are the people on the ground making direct connections with our population.”
PFS started its peer counseling program for people 55 years old and older in 2008. At no charge, residents can be matched with a peer counselor who often shares a similar background and can attend weekly individual or group sessions.
“Being a peer counselor is very rewarding,” said Roberta Gonzales-Gregg, a San Carlos resident who has been a peer counselor for five years. “I like to say it is a win-win. We’re reaching out to a particularly isolated group of people and not only am I giving back to someone in need, but the rewards I get back are amazing. It’s a very special experience. It made me more aware of those in need and told me more about myself.”
Gonzales-Gregg runs a group peer counseling group.
“I like to call us the ‘gem gals’ because whatever the topic we are speaking of, someone will have something that is really a gem of wisdom and that is so rewarding. I like to write poetry and when I am reading the poetry, I see a little twinkle in their eyes and it’s really rewarding for me,” Gonzales-Gregg said.
PFS also runs the Fair Oaks Adult Activity Center, which has events focused on social connection, nutrition and wellness.
“PFS is really special to me because my mom, who was the city librarian for Menlo Park, was a member of the Menlo Park Family Services Auxiliary and when I was a little girl. I have so many fond memories of going to their shop and being part of such a great organization,” said Olympic swimmer and former Palo Alto City Council candidate Anne Cribbs.
Cribbs is organizing a charity golf tournament for PFS in November.
“I don’t think you can measure the impact of such an important organization. We’re really lucky to have PFS in the community,” Cribbs added.
PFS does have its challenges.
“We receive 17% of our $22 million budget from the federal government so we definitely have been impacted by recent executive orders,” said Cleary.
Cleary said PFS was ordered to remove DEI from its organization due to an executive order and although it followed it, PFS remains committed to equity.
“We’ve made some changes but we stand true to our principles: that we support our community, that we believe in the principles of equity,” she said. “We know to serve the community, we need to look like that community.”
Cleary said PFS receives funds from the federal Early Head Start program, which provides child development services and family support services to low-income children under 3 years old. Cleary said PFS is currently worried that its Head Start program will not be funded.
“We are always facing challenges but the one thing we always have is the support of our community,” Cleary said.
