Local Hunger Fighter: Graciela Ramirez, St. Joseph’s Family Center
Our Food Connection Specialist Jessica Davis thinks that Graciela (Grace) Ramirez from St. Joseph’s Family Center in Gilroy works really hard to end hunger in her community: “I LOVE St. Joseph’s Family Center! All of the staff is amazing and they all have a different perspective to share. Grace is one of the staff there and is particularly compassionate and caring, evident by her daily interactions with clients. Although Grace works with many families, there is one case in particular that comes to mind. A family she worked closely with found themselves without a place to live. The family did not have many resources to count on and Grace searched for several resources in the community, ranging from clothing to free food assistance. She also enrolled them in the pantry program that St. Joseph’s offers. However, after realizing that the twice monthly food boxes were not enough for the family of 5 (the youngest being 5 months old), she sought out information for several other alternatives for the family. Grace has also gone so far as to launder the children’s clothing so that the little money they earned could be better spent on nutritional food as opposed to using that money at the laundromat.”
How are you helping Second Harvest and our community?
We are helping the community by simplifying the documentation process, making sure they feel comfortable so they don’t feel embarrassed about asking for help, and by reassuring them that this is what we are here for, to help.
What inspires you to give your time?
That feeling you get in your stomach when you do something good. Also, knowing that children are not going hungry.
Why should people care about hunger in our community?
People should care about hunger in our community because that is what builds a strong community – people taking care of one another.
Why do you support Second Harvest?
If we didn’t have Second Harvest, I don’t know where our families would go for assistance. There is so much need in our community that even a little extra makes a difference.
***Meet more of your neighbors helping us build a hunger-free community.