November 13, 2024

If you are sending a gift via mail this fall, please be sure to use our temporary address: 435 San Antonio Rd, Mountain View, CA 94040. Thank you!

Empty Glasses A Success!

On Sunday, October 27th, CSA’s Young Professionals (YP) group hosted their annual Empty Glasses fundraiser for CSA. During the sold-out event, guests enjoyed exclusive selections from Portola Vineyards and experienced a tour of the beautiful winery, all while making meaningful contributions to CSA's mission of serving as the community’s safety net in Mountain View, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills.

Empty Glasses 2024 featured three inspiring speakers from CSA and its network. Kathi Minden, a dedicated CSA volunteer, shared her perspective on the importance of community involvement and her personal experiences working with those served by CSA. Katherine Cagat, Research and Program Officer at Mayors for Guaranteed Income, spoke on her organization’s work to support economic security through guaranteed income initiatives, highlighting poverty as a systemic issue, not an individual choice. Amy Kaiser, CSA’s Associate Director, reflected on her experiences working with the CSA team, emphasizing how each staff member demonstrates the compassion, dedication, and shared mission that fuel CSA’s efforts to serve the most vulnerable in the community.

CSA Young Professionals is a volunteer group driven by socially conscious young professionals with the mission to take meaningful action and raise awareness about local poverty through fundraising, advocacy, social engagement, and volunteering. If you share the passion for making a real impact on the issue of local poverty and want to be part of this inspiring team, contact joincsayp@gmail.com. 

CSA Recognizes Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month

In recognition of November as Hunger and Homelessness Awareness month, we would like to take the opportunity to share key data about the unhoused individuals and families we serve. Over the past year, CSA served over 1,300 unhoused people across nearly 700 households. Of these individuals, 27% couch surf, 15% live in a car, 10% live in an RV, 4% stay in a shelter, and 2% are unsheltered—the remainder are in other unstable living situations without a formal lease.

Case Managers at CSA utilize a variety of supportive resources to transition unhoused individuals and families into more stable housing. Last year, we helped house 154 people and provided $181,000 in direct financial assistance to unhoused clients, including financial assistance for first month rent and deposit. 

A trend surprising to many people is that the most impacted demographic falling into homelessness in California is older adults – they are struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living. Many face large medical expenses and/or are unable to access adequate employment. 

Thank you for your support for CSA’s programs and services, which helps us serve vulnerable individuals and families in our community, including seniors facing homelessness.

Matching Gifts - Don’t Forget to Submit!

Have you asked your employer if your company has a matching gift program? Many of our wonderful local companies will match their employees’ donations, potentially doubling your contribution to CSA without any extra cost to you. It's a simple way to amplify your giving and make a greater difference in the lives of our community members. Gifts from employees’ spouses and retirees may also qualify for a match.

Ask your employer’s HR or Corporate Social Responsibility department to learn more about your company’s matching gift policy. Our tax ID is 94-1422465. Make the most of your generosity and increase your impact to support the community’s safety net.