Family Giving Tree is looking for donations of time as well as gifts for children and seniors in need and community members who are transitioning into permanent housing. The goal of the Milpitas-based nonprofit’s 2022 Holiday Wish Drive is to deliver gifts to 40,000 residents in 14 Bay Area counties by Dec. 23. (Courtesy photo)
Drive fulfills holiday wishes
Family Giving Tree recently concluded its Holiday Wish Drive, providing gifts for more than 56,000 Bay Area children, seniors and adults transitioning from homelessness.
“We surpassed our 2022 gift goal by over 10,000 gifts,” Jennifer Cullenbine, president and co-founder of the Milpitas-based nonprofit, said in a statement. “It looked a bit bleak in early December, but the community rallied.”
The need for Family Giving Tree’s services in the 14 Bay Area counties it serves has increased in the past three years due to the pandemic and the subsequent economic downturn. The average income for the two-parent households the nonprofit helps is about $4,500 a month.
For more information, visit familygivingtree.org.
Clean water grants
Valley Water is accepting applications for its 2023 Safe, Clean Water Grants Program, which provides funding for projects that support the mission of providing safe, clean water for a healthy life, environment and economy.
The Grants & Partnerships Program is part of the Safe, Clean Water and Natural Flood Protection Program, a parcel tax Santa Clara County voters overwhelmingly renewed in November 2020. For 2023, Valley Water has a total of $1.4 million with no minimum or maximum amount per project that fits into the following categories: water conservation, pollution prevention, volunteer cleanup efforts and education, wildlife habitat restoration and access to trails and open space.
Applications are due by March 10. Valley Water will host a virtual workshop March 1, 10-11:30 a.m., where applicants can learn more about the available grants and their requirements. For more information, visit valleywater.org/grants.
Originally published at Anne Gelhaus