Around Town . . . with Robert Airoldi:: SV community rallies to help stricken family of Gilroy Donut House

Extended family members have stepped in to help keep the shop

By Robert Airoldi

Robert Airoldi

I said it before and I’ll say it again. A crisis brings out the best in us. It’s shown by all the businesses, nonprofits and individuals stepping up to make Personal Protective Equipment, donating food to the less fortunate and checking in on their neighbors.

Now, it’s coming to light as an ailing South Valley couple continues to keep their Gilroy Donut House business going despite suffering a series of serious medical setbacks. Longtime customer Stephanie Upton-Gonzalez started a GoFundMe effort to help the family.

Sreng Hok has been going through dialysis and his wife is recovering from a stroke and is partially paralyzed but continues to bake donuts at night for the next morning’s customers. Their daughter, 29-year-old Kim Hok, who suffered a brain aneurysm, died in early May. One of her kidneys went to her father. Extended family members have stepped in to help keep the donut shop serving its loyal customers. To donate, www.gofundme.com/f/gilroy-donut-house-emergency-fund.

Karen Crane

Karen Crane shared with us the names of the school kids who won in the Freedom Fest essay contest. The 2020 theme focused on female heroes in America. The youngsters wrote about women from Sacagawea to Rosa Parks.

“This year’s essays were amazing. The topic resonated so well with our young authors,” Crane said.

Third-grader Abby Wilcox of Jackson Academy of Math and Music is the essay contest’s primary Grand Prize Primary Winner, who wrote a thank you note to Dr. Sara Cody and mailed it to her and received a gracious reply. Other winners are Emma Killough, a third-grader at Nordstrom Elementary School, Liam Leyva, a third-grader at Barrett Elementary School, and Myla Mead, a third-grader at Barrett. Fifth-grader Tessa Landers of El Toro Health Science Academy is the intermediate Grand Prize Winner. Other winners are fourth-grader Samantha Childers at Charter School of Morgan Hill, fourth-grader Alana Verador at El Toro, fourth-grader Emerson Lamar at Charter.

Glad we’re encouraging American patriotism in our kids.

Recognizing both immediate and long-term needs for disaster relief, the Morgan Hill Community Foundation established a Community Disaster Relief Fund for the greater Morgan Hill area. This fund will provide a central collection point, repository and broad oversight to quickly mobilize donations and distribute funds and other relief to vetted local non-profits supporting disaster relief.  To kick-start the fund, MHCF has committed $10,000 in reserved funds and donations from its board members.

To help quickly identify specific needs, priorities, and paths for relief, MHCF is establishing an Advisory Committee of local residents representing a cross-section of community involvement and local leadership. Advised by this committee, the MHCF Board will consider and expedite applications from local non-profit 501c-3 organizations for grants to distribute needed services, goods or other forms of relief to specific qualified relief projects.

This fund and the relief efforts it will support will depend on donations from the community. Donations can be made through the MHCF website at www.morganhillcf.org. All donations made to the Community Disaster Relief Fund will be used for disaster relief in the greater Morgan Hill Area.

The Ann Sobrato High School Cheer and Football Teams are holding a Lawn Sign Fundraiser for graduates of all ages. Whether you have a kindergartener, 8th grader, high school or college senior, treat them to something special. They have Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum graduation packages, and are available for set-up and delivery in Morgan Hill, San Martin, Gilroy, and South San Jose. Order online at www.form.jotform.com/201214625614142 The deadline to order is May 22, 2020. For questions, please call (408) 422-6137 or email [email protected].

At the end of April, 63.7 percent of households in Santa Clara County self-responded to the 2020 Census. Results effects funding for educational programs that benefit children, such as after-school activities, school meal programs, and Head Start. It also impacts representation in Congress.

Participate in the census now by responding by phone with a customer representative: 844-330-2020. Customer service representatives are available in 12 languages. Or visit www.2020census.gov/en/ways-to-respond/responding-by-phone.html.