Mountain View Voice
2013 PAGE 12
DECEMBER 20, 2013 VOLUME 21, NO. 47
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MOVIES | 22
More seeking free breakfast HOPE’S CORNER NEEDS FUNDS TO EXPAND SERVICES, UPGRADE KITCHEN By Daniel DeBolt
days a week, and so far has raised $90,000 of the $350,000 needed he poor and homeless to upgrade the hall’s bathrooms are often invisible in the and kitchen, which isn’t up to middle of one of Silicon code. “Then we would actually Valley’s most booming cities, be able to cook meals there,” said but the need for a free breakfast Leslie Carmichael, chair of the program at a downtown Moun- board for Hope’s Corner. tain View church Vo l u n t e e r s is growing, servnoted that they ing 180 people don’t see the sort ‘Santa Clara on a recent Satof chronically ill urday. drug addicted County has the or The free Sathomeless persons urday breakfast might expect. nation’s fifth- you and bag lunch is Many are longtime part of a program highest number residents down on known as “Hope’s their luck, who Corner,” named don’t want to leave of homeless after its location their communities per capita.’ at the corner of behind. Hope and Mercy “There’s a wide streets. From 8 MICHAEL FISCHETTI, COUNTY variety of folks a.m. to 10 a.m. HEALTH ADVISORY COMMISSION that come here,” Food is served Lee said. “There’s in the meeting people that sleep hall at Trinity United Methodist in their cars, people that sleep on Church. the ground, people who spend all “It’s a very cumbersome life- their money on rent so they don’t style,” said one man who fre- have enough money for food.” quents the program and lives Palo Alto’s ban on car campin his car. “Things like being ing at the Cubberly Community able to cook your food, being Center has had an impact. able to have a bathroom facil“If you look in this room, you ity, heating — when you are can see people who are pretty housed you take those things well dressed,” Lee said. “A lot for granted. Those things are of them were living near Cubnot part of the equation when berly and now they are forced you’re homeless.” to look for other places to go,” The 180 people who used he said. the breakfast program Nov. Volunteer Michael Fischetti, 23 was a record, said volunteer who is also a county health comRobert Lee. Los Altos United missioner, provided a long list Methodist Church partnered of ways volunteers have helped, with Trinity United Methodist such as coming to the rescue of a Church to create the program, family whose car was impoundthough volunteers are welcome ed — along with all of their regardless of their faith. possessions. Volunteers quickly The program is seeking donaSee HOPE’S CORNER, page 10 tions to help expand to three
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MICHELLE LE
HOLIDAY TREATS
Chloe Wong, 6, helps hand out special holiday bags of groceries at the Harvest Food Bank at the Mountain View Senior Center on Dec. 17. Firefighters from Local 1965, with help from Chloe, the daughter of firefighter Melton Wong, handed out food to participants of Second Harvest Food Bank’s regular “Brown Bag Program,” which provides weekly nutritious groceries to adults over 60 in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Earlier this week, the Mountain View Fire Department teamed with Second Harvest to serve seniors a holiday meal.
Details still scarce in fatal mobile home fire By Nick Veronin
T
he investigation of a fatal Mountain View fire is stretching into its third week, and residents in the neighborhood where the blaze
occurred are anxious to find out what happened. The Dec. 2 fire claimed the life of a resident of Santiago Villa mobile home park, but details have been scarce, and even the name of the victim hasn’t been
released. “We really don’t know what happened to him or why he couldn’t get out,” said Betty Cook, manager of Santiago Villa, See HOME FIRE, page 9
CHAC helps locals with addiction, mental health By Nick Veronin
W
hen the Mountain View-based Community Health Awareness Council celebrated the grand opening of its new headquarters this September, the event was billed as the “Miracle on El Camino.” The new building, located near the intersection of W. El Camino Real and View Street, is significantly larger than the
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Mountain View Voice
2013
organization’s previous digs at the corner of Church and Hope streets. CHAC paid no money for the larger space, since both the old and new buildings were controlled by the same landlord, who agreed to swap locations free of charge.
The local non-profit, which focuses on delivering affordable community mental health and substance abuse services to local children, teens and adults, opened its new offices at the beginning of July, and according to CHAC representative Carrie Carstens, the new facilities have been “great.” “It has definitely been a blessing,” Carstens said. “We need the space.” See HOLIDAY FUND, page 13
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