Food insecurity is on the rise in Santa Clara County. Families are often forced to make a choice between food and essential non-food items. In partnership with West Valley Community Services, Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga provides Care Kits to distribute at a Mobile Food Pantry known as the Park-It Market. The Park-It Market serves clients in Los Gatos, Saratoga, and West San Jose with barriers to transportation.

The Park-It Market Care Kit program started in 2020 with a committee looking for ways to reallocate funds that were earmarked for school programs during Covid-19 restrictions. Current co-chairs Karen Azzi and Susan Weber have grown the program from an initial pilot program with a $2,500 budget to permanent Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga program with a $7,500 budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Their goal is to expand the program as the needs of the community increase.

West Valley Community Services clients pick up a selection of canned, packaged, and perishable foods, then can choose one of four Care Kit bags:

• Paper products including paper towels, toilet paper and facial tissues.
• Cleaning products including all-purpose cleaner, laundry detergent and window cleaner.
• Household goods including dish soap, bar soap, pump hand soap, sponges, and scrubbies.
• Personal care items including lotion, shampoo, Band-Aids, deodorant, toothpaste, and toothbrushes.

An additional bag of feminine hygiene products is also available.

Donald Akimoto, manager of mobile operations for WVCS said, “The Assistance League Care Kits have been a great addition to our Park-It Market program. As the Park-It Market provides families with a choice of free food, this incredible group purchases and prepares “kits” with a variety of items such as personal or household items that shoppers can choose from. This helps hundreds of families save even more money on these increasingly expensive items.”

In the 2024-2025 fiscal year, 880 kits were distributed. More than 35 Assistance League volunteers purchased items and packaged the Care Kits for distribution at Anderson and Rosemary schools, as well as the Moreland School District offices and DeAnza College. The Saratoga Book-Go-Round provides a collection of gently used books for children to take home. Many children receive the books and read them while their parents or guardians collect food items and Care Kits.

Assistance League's mission is to serve the local community with innovative programs for those in need. The Park-Market Care Kits support this goal by helping struggling families. The initiative has received positive feedback, with many families expressing gratitude for the addition of non-food items.

​In a commendable act of community support, Barnes & Noble recently presented 900 donated books to the Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga. This generous donation was part of Barnes & Noble’s ongoing book drive initiative aimed at fostering a love of reading and providing educational resources to local communities.

Literacy Program co-chairs Heidi Schoolcraft and Cookie Futterman-Spilka gratefully received this substantial donation, then worked several hours sorting the books to meet various needs:

• TK-2nd grade classroom reading.
• Paperbacks for end-of-year give-away
• Titles for kids ages 1-3 to Family Program.
• Hardbacks & paperback titles for older kids will be donated to various schools in the Campbell Union, Moreland, and Burbank districts for the school libraries.
• Other books, like Golden Books and some easier chapter books, we will provide to WVCS Park-It Market program.
• Titles that will enrich our TK-2nd grade classroom libraries, but do not work well for reading to the class, or duplicate titles. We will provide these to our readers for distribution.

Community Engagement and Support
Barnes & Noble’s book drive is an excellent example of how local businesses can engage with their communities and provide meaningful support. By partnering with the Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga, they ensure that their donations reach those who will benefit the most. This collaboration highlights the importance of community partnerships in addressing educational and social needs.

Looking Ahead
As the Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga begins the distribution of these books, the excitement and gratitude within the community are palpable. This generous donation not only provides immediate benefits but also sets a precedent for future acts of giving. It inspires hope and demonstrates the power of community support in driving positive change.
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Thank you Barnes & Noble and to the numerous community members who donated books as part of their purchases at the store. 

​169 STATE ST. (CORNER OF STATE & THIRD) LOS ALTOS, CA 

THURSDAY 10 A.M. – 2 P.M.
FRIDAY 10 A.M. – 2 P.M.
SATURDAY 10 A.M. – 2 P.M.
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WE ACCEPT DONATIONS OF: 
JEWELRY, ANTIQUES, FINE RUGS, FRAMED ART, HOME DÉCOR, TABLE LINENS, QUALITY FURNITURE, ART GLASS & VASES, CHINA, SILVER, CRYSTAL, GARDEN ART & POTTERY, BARWARE & GLASSWARE, QUALITY CLOTHING & HATS, KITCHENWARE & BAKEWARE, QUALITY TOYS

WE DO NOT ACCEPT: 
BOOKS, ELECTRONICS, MATTRESSES & BEDDING,  MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, SPORTS EQUIPMENT

For information or to make a donation, please email [email protected] or call 408-278-5300 

​Mathnasium of Campbell-Los Gatos celebrated Pi Day by presented a $700. check to the Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga to further our efforts helping students, children and families in the local community.

Mathnasium students are given a reward card and receive a star for every page of math problems with complete.  It takes 15-18 pages of problems to complete the card. Once a year the students chose to give back to children and families in the community by donating their cards, worth $1.00 each. Mathnasium matches the donation.
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Thank you to all the students of Mathnasium, Dr. Kobad Bugwadia and Nancy Bugwadia, owners of Mathnasium for this donation. Assistance League of Los-Gatos-Saratoga will use the donation to fund our programs focused on literacy, clothes for students science camp scholarships and programs to support new mothers and their babies.  

Thanks to a $16,000 investment from the Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga, sixteen West Valley College students received scholarships to pursue their education in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM). With a mission to support those most in need, the Assistance League, a nonprofit organization, invests in programs that make a positive impact on people's lives. Their donations to West Valley College empower students to pursue their dreams and further their education in the STEM fields.

Sue Levine, Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga President Elect, knows firsthand the challenges that women face in STEM fields. Having worked at NASA Ames Research Center for two decades, she understands the need for more support for women in science. When she saw the opportunity to help our students, she was thrilled to partner with West Valley College.

The scholarships provided by the Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga significantly impact the lives of the recipients. These scholarships provide financial support to female students who are pursuing degrees in STEM fields, offering a lifeline to students who might otherwise struggle to stay in school.

​​The impact of these scholarships is not just felt by the recipients, but by the community as well. As the Assistance League notes, investing in West Valley College is one of the best ways to make a difference in the local community.

By supporting female STEM students, the Assistance League is helping to promote more women in science and ensure that the community has access to a diverse range of talent.

The West Valley-Mission Foundation is proud to partner with the Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga to support talented students who are pursuing careers in STEM. Together, we are creating a brighter future for the community and the world. As more and more women enter STEM fields, the possibilities for innovation and discovery are endless. Because of the commitment of organizations like the Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga, the future is looking brighter than ever before.

From article at foundation.wvm.edu

​Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga won two special awards recently for work during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

An Exemplary Service Medal from the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors was presented by Joe Simitian, District 5, for creating, assembling, and distributing over 41,000 individual STEM lessons for students to use during distance learning this year. The lessons were packed into kits students from TK through Grade 5 could take home and do with online lessons from their teachers. If you were a Kindergartener you might have been able to make a rainbow on your own, or as a fourth grader you learned all about the functions of the eye complete with a magnifying glass for exploration.

The STEM lessons were part of the Mystery Science curriculum used by the Campbell Union School District. With students at home, teachers were unsure how to present lessons, and our chapter utilized over 20 volunteers to make it possible. Thousands of items from pipe cleaners, to plastic cups, to colored paper, to rubber bands and photo copies were assembled into the kits.

Campbell Union School District presented our chapter with the You Make a Difference Award in thanks for the STEM kits and another 500 Art Kits for students most in need. The district encompasses several schools where a high percentage of the students are considered at risk.  
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These two philanthropic programs of Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga had been done in classroom settings previously, and the chapter quickly pivoted to provide programs students could utilize while distance learning.

​Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga volunteers has been hard at work during August and September creating thousands of STEM Kits for students to work on at home as part of their distance learning this fall. 34,000 STEM Kits will be delivered to Campbell Union School District in early October. Each student in Kindergarten through 5th grade will be able to perform six science experiments to do at home after a distance learning science lesson from their teacher. Topics range from leaves changing color, difference in bird beaks, to friction and pattern of motion, and structure and function of the human eye. 

These STEM Kits as a critical part of the Mystery Science curriculum of the school district and are designed to augment teaching with hands-on opportunities to explore science concepts at home.  One fifth grade teacher has already said, “Thank you for making Mystery Science so accessible for students and easily integrative for teachers.” 

In addition, 1500 Art/Writing Kits for Kindergarten through 2nd graders were also assembled by volunteers. These kits include a writing journal, a book about Why We Stay Home during Covid-19, and other fun art supplies.  Students will be encouraged to write about their lives at home.

Producing over 35,000 total student kits represents a major shift in program presentation for Assistance League. In the past all student programs were conducted in a classroom setting. At the request of Campbell Union School District, Assistance League mobilized their volunteers to support online instruction quickly and effectively.
In this changing environment, Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga continues its mission to Transform Lives and Support our Local Communities in need. 

For over 10 years Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga has held a baby shower in coordination with the Nurse Family Partnership Program in Santa Clara County. In-need moms and their new babies who are enrolled in this program all live below the poverty line with an annual income of approximately $9,000. All are young and struggling to raise their babies in a healthy and positive environment. 

Due to COVID-19, this annual event was transformed into a virtual event under the direction of Assistance League members Kitty Horowitz and Barbara Weber. Members used the Target Baby Registry to select gifts for the new families identified by the Public Health Nurses.  Members were generous with their support as 85 members fulfilled many needs ranging from floor gyms, boppies, foam floor tiles, newborn clothes, board books to many boxes of diapers.  The virtual shower donations were valued at nearly $1,800. 

Since the nurses are currently engaged in COVID-19 Contact Tracing, their only contact with the new moms is once a week. Based on each family’s needs, the nurses will identify each family’s needs so the new moms can go to the Public Health office and pick up their gifts. Barbara Weber, Family Programs Chairman, when asked why she manages the program, indicated that, “it is such a joy, and gives me purpose in life, to help make someone else’s life just a little bit better”.

In this changing environment, Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga continues its mission to Transform Lives and Support our Local Communities in need.  For more information on how to support the Philanthropic Programs of Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga, please go to allgs.org.

Gail Long of Los Gatos is the new president of the board of directors for the Los Gatos-Saratoga Chapter of Assistance League for the 2020-2021 year.  Gail brings both extensive experience and enthusiasm to her new position.

Other board members for this year include:  Lynn Sprague, Membership; Judy Levin, Resource Development; Karin Abel and Judy Giraudo, Philanthropic Programs; Nancy Luttrull, Secretary; Dru Barth, Treasurer; Karen Azzi, Strategic Planning; and Kim Yegge, Marketing Communications.

This summer the board of directors will be addressing new ways to deliver our philanthropic programs to schools, new moms and their babies, and seniors. This will require nimbleness and change!  There are still positions on the board to fill and the help of many hands will be needed to achieve our goals of transforming lives and strengthening our local community.