“Volunteerism is how we turn compassion into action. It means showing up, listening, and giving our time and talents to strengthen the community we share."

Every day, I work to provide institutional support to families in need. Keeping those institutions—and the services they provide—strong is essential to maintaining our society’s safety net.

Nonprofit volunteer programs and individual participation are also vital to ensuring that people facing hardship have their basic needs met.

While I strongly believe in maintaining a robust institutional safety net at the county, state, and federal levels, local volunteerism also plays a critical role in caring for families and individuals.

For several years, I have volunteered with Second Harvest food distributions, the Catholic Church’s St. Vincent de Paul charitable outreach, and the Gilroy Garlic Festival.

These programs provide food, clothing, and other essentials to families. While I enjoy all my volunteer activities, I must admit that hanging out with “Mr. Garlic” at the Gilroy Garlic Festival is pretty darn cool. And raising all those funds for children-at-risk is pretty darn cool too!”