By Sara Ballenger

Photo by Monique Schoenfeld, Town Crier

It is March, but Santa Claus seemed to be in town last Wednesday, as non-profit organizations received monetary gifts from the first-ever Los Altos Town Crier Holiday Fund.

Representatives from the nine agencies located within the Bay Area met at the Town Crier and discussed the goals of their agencies, and how the donations will help to meet those goals.

“The monies that are coming from the Holiday Fund drive are going to a portion of our emergency assistance program that is directly supporting dental care for low income children,” said Tom Meyers, executive director of the Community Service Agency. “This funding is going to be able to send at least 25 low income children to the dentist.”

The Holiday Fund is a non-profit fund-raiser founded by Town Crier Publisher Paul Nyberg. Donations came from individuals, families and community funds, as well as through matching funds from foundations.

“What made this really leap off of the ground is the matching grants - they (principal donors) were on board since we announced the Holiday Fund in November,” Nyberg said.

A total of $26,000 was donated in matching funds by six donors.

“We have had a long history of contributing to holiday funds plus providing funds throughout the whole Bay Area. It just seemed really appropriate that we should also contribute in our own back yard, which is why we did it,” said Marie Young of The David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Other donors responsible for matching funds were: the Steve and Michele Kirsch Foundation, Claudia and Bill Coleman, Nan and Chuck Geschke, Paul and Liz Nyberg Family Fund, and the Krause Foundation.

“I love to see the generosity at work in our community,” said Margret Riley, executive director of The Career Closet in Santa Clara County.

Career Closet helps give single mothers clothing for job interviews, and also received a donation from the Holiday Fund.

“It’s a small issue to dress women for work, but it’s a bigger issue than that. We are developing mentoring programs for women to not just get a job but to keep a job and become economicallyself-sufficient, which is difficult in this area,” Riley said.

The other organizations that received funds were: Truck of Love - food, clothing, for the homeless and helpless; Mother Branch - meals and food for the hungry in East Palo Alto; Help One Child - foster parent recruitment and support; Bay Shore Christian Ministries - after-school tutoring in East Palo Alto; Community Homeless Alliance Ministry - food and shelter for homeless in San Jose; East Palo Alto Kids Foundation -focuses on families working together; and Sunday Friends help for children in the family shelters.