Davis Street Gives Away Holiday Baskets
Davis Street Community Center staff, volunteers and board members all helped out at the center's holiday basket giveaway on Monday, December 23 at 3081 Teagarden St. in San Leandro. CEO Daniel Johnson is at center in blue shirt. (Mike McGuire photo credit.)
Some 800 families, 400 senior adults and several dozen developmentally delayed adults from several Alameda County communities got to celebrate the holidays a bit more comfortably with baskets of food and gifts from the Davis Street Community Center in San Leandro on Monday, December 23.
People from Castro Valley, Ashland, San Lorenzo, Cherryland and San Leandro drove up to the center, at 3081 Teagarden Street, all day and drove away all set for a holiday feast and celebration. People and organizations from throughout the city volunteered to join Davis Street staff, leaders and board members at the event.
Davis Street has served a wide variety of community needs since it was founded in 1972 as a ministry of the San Leandro First Christian Church. Now a community-supported non-profit, it still focuses on guiding families out of poverty and into productive lives, according to its website.
Their programs include primary health care, child care, programs for adults living with developmental disabilities, free food and clothing, housing information, and utility assistance.
Davis Street CEO Daniel Johnson said holiday baskets for families contained a brand-new toy for the children, a bag of fresh produce, a turkey, and all the holiday fixings. Seniors got a chicken, produce and all the fixings for a holiday meal, and a similar basket went to adults with developmental disabilities.
Thanks to an angel contributor, participants also each got a modest cash gift to help out at the holidays.
Elected officials from the county and San Leandro were among the volunteers. Elizabeth García, Davis Street development associate, said these included Eden Healthcare District Trustee Ed Hernandez, Assemblymember Liz Ortega’s office, San Leandro Mayor Juan Gonzalez, City Councilmember Bryan Azevedo, and newly elected San Leandro school board member Zachary Borja.
Garcia also thanked all the organizations and businesses that sent volunteers and/or made contributions, including Alameda County firefighters, the California Highway Patrol, San Leandro police, Kaiser Permanente, CME Security Service, the Boys & Girls Club, the Oakland Harley Club, San Leandro Rotary and the City of San Leandro.
To volunteer, get needed services or make a contribution, you can contact Davis Street at https://davisstreet.org or by calling (510) 347-4620.