By Marie Galetto-Dugoni
Click here to read this article in Spanish
At the end of August, some members of the Foundation’s Grants Committee visited the Food Distribution Program at Our Lady of Guadalupe. This program received a grant in the 2018 and 2019 Spring Grant Cycle, and the committee was excited to visit this very impressive program. Our Lady of Guadalupe distributes fresh produce and food staples to about 3,000 people every month. You read that right, every month. They see about 1,200 per week (some people come more than once a month) which includes an average of 260 families with 730 dependents and about 250 individuals. Food is distributed three times a week and they track not only where these people live (the program aims to serve their local East San Jose community, although if someone comes from a different zip code they are given food and resources about food distribution in their own neighborhood) but also who has already received food that week to ensure that there is enough for everyone.
Did I mention that this program is almost entirely volunteer run? It is a huge, efficiently-run operation and the core group of dedicated volunteers, many of whom have been volunteering for over five years and some for more than fifteen, is what makes it a success. They bring God’s presence and love to the work. They are Jesus’ hands, doing his will and fulfilling his promise to those in need. They do mundane tasks with a smile and greet the clients like old friends, making jokes and exchanging pleasantries.
We met one volunteer who has been working with this program for over 18 years. We met another who works two jobs, one at a fast food chain and one cleaning houses, yet she never misses her shift volunteering at this program on her day off. Any group of people can distribute food to those in need whether or not they have faith. What makes this program special is the volunteers. They bring God into the work and infuse it with His love and mercy, bestowing His dignity on the work and the people being served.
Needless to say, we left feeling inspired. This program is supported by the parish and doesn’t have other sources of funding aside from the occasional grant like the one from the Foundation. While the main source of food comes from their partnership with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, the volunteers also maintain their own truck for picking up food from local grocery stores who donate some dry goods and other products. They do their best to provide high-quality food to their clients, sometimes giving lesser-quality produce to farmers for livestock so that it won’t be wasted. They try to provide what their clients ask for, but there are some products like baby food that they can’t usually get.
It was a blessing to partake in this joy-filled ministry, even for just one afternoon, and to witness the volunteers’ dedication and love for their work. If you feel inspired to support this program, donations can be made to Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and designated for the Food Distribution Program. If you would like to volunteer with this program, contact Idania Barousse, the parish’s Pastoral Associate at (408) 258-7057. If you would like to support the Foundation’s Spring Grant Cycle which grants to programs like this one all over the Diocese, visit https://giving.cfoscc.org/spring-match or make a check out to The Catholic Community Foundation of Santa Clara County and write “Spring Grant Cycle” in the memo.