Students from the Youth Club at St. Francis of Assisi Church color after finishing their homework on Dec. 11, 2018. Photo by Veronica Weber.

Holiday Fund breaks record
Dozens of nonprofits will receive grants to aid those in need

by Palo Alto Weekly staff

Through the generous contributions of 375 donors, the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund collected a record-breaking $403,889 this winter — every dollar of which will be distributed in the coming months to local nonprofits serving those in need.

The goal of the campaign, which launched in November and officially closes at month's end, was to raise $350,000.

"Thanks to high participation from community members, the ongoing support of local charitable foundations and a strong cadre of sponsors of our annual Moonlight Run event in the fall, we were able to exceed not only our goal but last year's total as well," said Bill Johnson, publisher of the Weekly. "I couldn't be prouder of our community. And I know the impact our grant recipients will make on those they serve this year will in some cases be absolutely life-changing."

Last year, 60 nonprofit organizations in the Palo Alto and East Palo Alto area received grants ranging from $2,500 to $15,000 for programs that ranged from after-school tutoring and literacy intervention to health care and much-needed food.

Among the major donors to this year's charitable campaign, one local family made a $100,000 donation — their eighth straight year of support. Another donor, who wished to remain anonymous, contributed $25,000. The Hewlett Foundation and Packard Foundation also each gave major gifts of $25,000, as they have every year since the fund's inception. The Peery Foundation and Arrillaga Foundation each made $10,000 contributions.

Boosting the Fund total this year were the sponsors of the Moonlight Run, a 5K and 10K event held to benefit the Holiday Fund. Giving a record-setting $53,000 were lead sponsor Stanford Health Care, corporate sponsors DeLeon Realty, Facebook, Kaiser Permanente, Palantir, Stanford Federal Credit Union, Sutter Health/Palo Alto Medical Foundation, The Six Fifty, Wealth Architects and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Foundation and event sponsors Lakin Spears and Bank of the West.

When this year's donations are distributed, the Holiday Fund will have disbursed more than $7 million over its 26-year history.