Around Town … with Robert Airoldi: VFW honors five students who will go on to compete for scholarships
VFW recognized three outstanding educators as Teacher of the Year.
By Robert Airoldi
Robert Airoldi
We got word from Jesse Rizzo, the chairman of the VFW Post 6309 Youth Activities Committee, that the post formally recognized local middle and high school student winners of the Patriot Pen and Voices of Democracy Essay Competition.
The competition is conducted annually nationwide by the VFW. One winner from each state competes for the national scholarship prize of $5,000 for middle school and $35,000 for high school winners.
The middle school winners are Amari Johl and Kayla Seth, both from South Valley Middle School. The high school winners are Alexis Silveira, Giovanni Nitis and Gabriel Heredia from Christopher High School.
The VFW also recognized three outstanding educators who were selected as Teacher of the Year. They are: Lindsay Hock, Gilroy High; Dana Wolfe, South Valley Middle School; and Heather McPherson, Paradise Engineering Academy.
The recognition and presentation of certificates took place during the post’s annual Christmas dinner Dec. 19.
Congratulations to the winners and all who participated.
Charles Weston, the organizer of the annual Veterans Day Run in Morgan Hill, told us the event saw a record number of runners and veteran participants.
“The dust has settled and after expenses, the total profit to be split between our five partners is $23,770,” he said.
Started by Weston, a Vietnam veteran and Morgan Hill architect, with the idea to help fund local veterans groups 10 years ago, the run is low key and allows for plenty of time to learn about the veterans organizations it benefits.
Nonprofit partner organizations that will receive funding from the event include: Operation Freedom Paws, South Bay Blue Star Moms, DreamPower Horsemanship, Morgan Hill Freedom Fest, and RWB (Red, White, and Blue ).
There were 284 runners including 38 veterans, which are record numbers for this the 10th year.
Fun time for some great local groups!
The community reading engagement program, Silicon Valley Reads, is back in 2024 with the theme, “A Greener Tomorrow Starts Today.” The program will focus on environmental sustainability with a selection of books and programs that explore the challenges and opportunities of creating a more sustainable future, not only in Santa Clara County but worldwide.
Registration is now open for the event. The kickoff is Jan. 31, at the Visual Performing Arts Center at De Anza College at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. It will be simultaneously live streamed by the Commonwealth Club of Silicon Valley.
Register any time by emailing [email protected]. Details: visit SiliconValleyReads.org.
Santa Clara County food businesses donated more than 11.7 million pounds of surplus food in 2022, the first full year of implementation of a new state law meant to ease hunger and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Grocery stores and other businesses are required to donate the maximum possible amount of their surplus food to those in need under SB 1383, which took effect Jan. 1, 2022. The new regulations expand Jan. 1, 2024, to include compliance from additional businesses and organizations, including certain large restaurants, hotels, health care facilities, schools and more. Decreasing the amount of edible food thrown into landfills helps ensure all Santa Clara County residents have enough to eat. Last year’s donations provided the equivalent of more than 9.7 million meals to people experiencing food insecurity.
The Santa Clara County Food Recovery Program also helps the climate. Food that winds up in landfills generates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Last year, the collective recovery efforts prevented nearly 15,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere, creating the same net benefit of taking more than 3,000 passenger cars off the road for a year.
“Businesses throughout Santa Clara County and community partners are helping to solve hunger in our region while also fighting climate change,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor Otto Lee, who represents the Board of Supervisors on the county’s Recycling and Waste Reduction Commission, a 10-member advisory body regarding countywide solid waste issues.
The expansion of the program this month comes at a time when food recovery organizations are grappling with capacity limitations, as pandemic-related funding sources run dry. The Food Recovery Initiative of Joint Venture Silicon Valley is working to identify sustainable funding models, test innovative approaches to food recovery, and support businesses in efforts to reduce the amount of surplus they generate.