I was watching the goings on the What Is Going On In Hollister Facebook group, when I noticed an exchange of conversation between an ever-increasing number of people. One woman, Rebecca Perez-Espinoza was asking the group if anyone could help.
She posted:
“Don’t know where else I can get the information that is why I am asking on this forum. Does anyone know if there is a organization or some type of resource where they help low income students get a computer. There is a top grade student at Calaveras school that has to write out all his essays when they need to be typed out but even that way writing it out he gets A’s in his work. He had to do a two paged essay last week and all was written because he does not have a computer just thought it would be really nice to be able to get this for him for Christmas. Very very smart kid and really nice kid. Feel bad his parents are really struggling right now. Some nice feedback would be appreciated. Thank you!”
She wasn’t looking anyone to do anything but point her in the right direction. She thought that it would be great to be able to help this boy, a neighbor of her parents, who was a promising student with a lack of resources.
The reponse was overwhelming. People began offering desktop computers, laptop computers, printers, paper, ink, computer support . . . She had not intended to be in the middle of all of this, but, this weekend she delivered the computer and printer to the family and was deeply moved by the emotion expressed by the boy’s mother.
He is a student at Rancho Maze Middle School and Rebecca told me that someone from the school had validated that this boy and his family were well-deserving of this gift.
Rebecca told me that she was thinking, since it was Christmas, she would try to do something about the situation. She said, “Whether it’s Christmas, or not shouldn’t matter.” People could be responding to these situations all year long. It could be Christmas every day.” She said that she has a job and a family, so for her, it is Christmas all year long. She thought there must be some way that we can meet these needs, some organization, some mechanism. She wasn’t aware of any.
I told her how grateful I was that she chose to respond and how most of us want to do something to help to meet the needs of those who are less fortunate than we are, but feel overwhelmed by the size of the need. It is difficult to know what to do. She gave people a chance to do something and they stepped up.
I want to personally thank;
Haydee Saldana
Erika Barerra
Denise Witty
Miguel Gonzales
Julia Cirinelli
Sheila Donovan
Yesenia Casas
Matt Fruits
For answering the call. If there are more we will add their names. They help to make our community the kind of place we can be proud to live in.
I spoke with Rebecca about the need to link people in need to people who may have surplus, not money, but stuff. Things that they aren’t using, clothes they aren’t wearing. It would be helpful to have something to use to notify people when you have something to give away and when you may be in need of something. I am looking across my living room at my vacuum cleaner (not that I’m going to use it), which I obtained from FreeCycle, which is a Yahoo group which I belong to which was created to help keep things which are still useful from going to the dump. I have used it for many things, bicycles, rugs, my futon frame and mattress . . . Hmmm . . . now that I am looking around the room there are quite a few Freecycle items.
Anyway that is there, Craigslist is there. You may use BenitoList, our Classified Section, to list needs and surpluses. I welcome you all to step up and inform us all of people and organizations that people can support and contact meet the need of removing unwanted surplus items, or welcome access to those items.
Let’s do it! Let us make it Christmas everyday. Why save all of the joy of giving and receiving for these crazy days in December? It needn’t cost a cent!
Anybody got any ideas?