How the Galilee Center continues to help Coachella Valley residents 13 years later
As extreme weather conditions prompted by Tropical Storm Hilary impacted the Coachella Valley, The Galilee Center in Mecca kept its doors open to shelter locals in need. On Aug. 20, the center took in 11 people, among them families and unhoused individuals from the Oasis Mobile Home park.
The center provided beds, hot meals and other utilities during the storm. The center's shelter plans to remain open a few more days this week to account for any individual or family that was displaced due to the storm.
Earlier this month, The Galilee Center distributed 900 backpacks full of school supplies such as notebooks, pencils, folders and binders to Coachella Valley K-12 students in need.
These are just a few examples of why the center exists: to help people across the desert in various states of need.
Simple origins
Founded in 2010 by Claudia Castorena and Gloria Gomez, the Galilee Center is a nonprofit organization that fulfills the food, clothing, shelter and other basic needs for disadvantaged children, families, asylum seekers and farmworkers in the eastern Coachella Valley. One of the center's core services is its weekly food distribution that takes place every Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m in its Mecca location.
"For food, we get close to 300 families or households that receive the food. For diapers, baby formula, we get approximately a little over 400 families once a month that we distribute to," said Claudia Castorena, CFO and cofounder of the center.
Additionally, the organization also provides shelter to migrant populations of farmworkers during the height of the agricultural season November through July.
"This year, we had close to ...100 migrant farmworkers that we helped throughout the season," Castorena said.
For 20 years, cofounders Castorena and Gomez previously worked in championing the mission of Martha's Village and Kitchen, one of the largest providers of homeless and impoverished services in the Coachella Valley and Riverside County.
After having retired from care of the organization in 2010, Gomez and Castorena felt called to start a new project. The Galilee Center would emerge that same year. Originally, Gomez and Castorena began by stationing themselves under the shade of a tree in Thermal, providing canned food baskets to the local community.
"We have been growing exponentially. But the beginning was very grassroots," said Castorena. "The very first service that we provided was food. The very first distribution we prepared for 100 baskets or families thinking probably half will show up ... We ran out of food that first day."
The Galilee Center continues to evolve every year, providing people with canned food, fresh produce, clothing, blankets, jackets, backpacks, infant supplies, senior services and more.
"Infant services is one that we have seen an increase in the latest months. The last six months, it's been up significantly, as well as the senior populations," said Castorena.
The center also helps households with rental assistance, utility assistance and more.
The Galilee Center also assists individuals in filling out applications for federal programs like the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program that provides utility assistance to families.
"From here, they can get information for all other types of resources not only through us, but through other organizations, whatever is happening in the community they come here and we pass on the information," Castorena said.
Building new horizons
The center's main building in Mecca was donated to Gomez and Castorena in 2012 and has gone through continual renovation.
Plans for a new addition to the center emerged from the increasing demand for shelter that has outgrown the current building's capacity. Currently, all individuals admitted into the center's space overnight are sheltered in the community room for nightly emergency housing.
The center raised over $2 million to contribute to this expansion project.
This major expansion will add a 6,000-square-foot emergency shelter, allowing the organization to double its overnight stays. Featuring two separate dormitory-style rooms for male and female clients, the addition of this building will allow for the current multi-purpose community room to serve as a dinning room.
A projected end date for when construction is expected to be finished is yet to be determined.
"Oh my goodness, it's hard, you know, because of the permits with the planning department. It's hard to tell, but we're hoping that by November, October were under construction, hopefully November," said Castorena.
"The expansion will take probably four, maybe five months to finish, so we're hoping we can move in and open February or March. That's my hope. Let's say February 2024 is the projected date of completion."
The spirit of volunteering
Gloria Kelly, a Palm Desert resident since 1966, has only started volunteering in the past month with the Galilee Center — but it's made an impression.
As a volunteer, Kelly has helped with the center's annual backpack collection and distribution service that took place earlier in August. This last week, she assisted in putting together food distribution boxes that would be given out to community members later that day. A variety of fresh produce including celery, onions, plums, potatoes and cauliflower provided by FIND food bank in collaboration with Hidden Harvest were set to be distributed.
Kelly expressed that for over 40 years, she has been involved with various volunteer organizations throughout the City of Palm Desert, such as the Girl Scouts and the Junior Women's Club. After taking a break from volunteering during the COVID 19 pandemic, Kelly said "I am just back into the spirit of volunteering."
"My bit is a little bit, but if everyone does a lot, it really adds up, and it helps a lot of people and there is such a need out here," Kelly said. "In the entire valley, but here especially. "
Ways to help
Interested in contributing to the mission set forth by the Galilee Center? You can do so via a plethora of means.
Volunteer: Individuals, families, groups and students are all welcome to volunteer their time to the Galilee Center. Volunteers are always needed to assist in the following ways:
Food, clothing and donation pickup
Maintenance tasks including electrical, painting, plumbing, etc.
Clerical and reception tasks
Annual event contribution (back-to-school backpack drive, Thanksgiving and Christmas food drive, etc.)
Weekly food basket assembly and distribution
Pantry maintenance and organization
Special events organization and hosting (food/toy/clothing drives)
Organization of fundraising events.
Individuals interested in volunteering their time can fill out the online volunteer application at galileecenter.org
Donations: Financial support can be given to the center in the form of monetary online donations or mail-in donations to the center's main location. Donations in the form of gently used clothing, furniture, shoes, household and kitchen items can also be made. Arrangements can be made to have a center representative visit your home to pick up donation items Monday through Friday. To arrange a pick-up, call (760) 396-9100.
The center currently has two operating thrift stores where shoppers can make purchases that contribute directly to the funding of the Galilee Center and the Lady Guadalupe Shelter. The Galilee Thrift Store in Mecca is located on 66-101 Hammond Road. The Coachella location can be found on 1030 Sixth Street, Suite 6. Stores are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
If you go
What: The Galilee Center
When: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday (and the next monthly infant service distribution is at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 24 at the Mecca location)
Where: Mecca Thrift Store: 66-101 Hammond Road, Mecca; Coachella Thrift Store: 1030 Sixth St., Suite 6, Coachella
More info: galileecenter.org or 760-396-9100
Ramon Salado Romo is a Stanford Rebele Journalism Internship Program participant working for the Desert Sun this summer. He can be reached at rsaladoromo@palmspri.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: How the Galilee Center continues to help Coachella Valley residents
