CSA client base continuing to grow CSA client base continuing to grow (December 03, 2004)

Food, cash assistance in high demand

By Jon Wiener

The dot bomb brought declining revenues to businesses throughout Mountain View. But for Community Services Agency, it meant an explosion in the number of clients.

"We hear the economy is improving, but we're not seeing it with our clients," said CSA's executive director Tom Myers.

CSA is one of five nonprofits benefiting this year from the Voice Holiday Fund. The agency assists the homeless, those in danger of losing financial independence and seniors.

Last year marked the third consecutive year in which the number of people receiving emergency assistance from CSA increased by more than 15 percent. Overall, the agency served a record 6,269 residents of Mountain View, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills in fiscal year 2003-2004.

As recently as 2001, the agency that calls itself "the town charity" served only two-thirds of that total. According to Myers, this year will likely produce another record.

"We're seeing a lot more people who are newly unemployed," he said. "People who never thought they would need help from an agency like CSA have been coming through the door."

Myers said that the agency revised its strategic plan two years ago to cope with the resource crunch, instituted a hiring freeze -- the organization has 24 employees, 12 of whom are full-time, and an army of 700 volunteers -- and strived to diversify its funding sources.

Myers said that this year, revenues are finally starting to rise again, thanks in large part to increases in individual contributions.

Originally founded in 1957 as the Mountain View Welfare Council, CSA strives to provide a safety net for those in crisis, "to keep them from falling through cracks," said Myers.

Among its range of programs are a food and nutrition center, daily hot lunches at the senior center, transportation assistance for seniors and the Alpha Omega homeless shelter. Volunteers help with everything from providing transportation to picking through donated food to make sure it is edible.

The largest increases in demand in the last four years have been for assistance with food, rent and school supplies.

CSA's holiday sharing drive has been around almost as long as the agency itself. This year's event, the 47th, will kick off at the city's tree lighting ceremony on Dec. 6. Last year, more than 1,200 families received donations through the holiday sharing drive, more than double the totalin 1999.

Residents can drop off donated food, clothing, toys and other gifts at the CSA office at 204 Stierlin Rd. The event will last two weeks, and the agency will be distributing the goods to 900 low-income families and 50 homebound seniors.

CSA is also seeking gift certificates to local retailers for teenagers and clothing for older adolescents, according to associate director Maureen Wadiak.

"Everybody loves buying pajamas for infants and toddlers. But the larger ones sometimes get forgotten about," said Wadiak.

The holidays are a boom time for CSA, with the holiday drive producing more long-term volunteers, families on food assistance receiving supplemental food bags, and more than half of the contributions from individuals coming during the month of December.

"We're like squirrels," said Myers. "When the nuts are ready to harvest, we store them."

E-mail Jon Wiener at jwiener@mv-voice.com

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