Last weekend’s shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival has left us at the Packard Foundation with a profound sense of sadness and shock. It breaks our hearts that this happened in our local Bay Area community.
This is our home. Those impacted are our friends, our families, our neighbors, and our community partners.
In response to the tragedy, and in keeping with our 54-year commitment to working in partnership with our local community on critical issues, the Foundation has made a $75,000 contribution to the Gilroy Garlic Festival Victims Relief Fund that our colleagues at the Gilroy Foundation have worked to create. This fund aims to help individual victims and to support local nonprofit organizations that provide relief to those affected.
The Gilroy Foundation’s motto is “Give Where You Live.” We agree wholeheartedly. If you are interested and able to give to those affected by this tragedy, you can do so here http://gilroyfoundation.org.
The Gilroy Garlic Festival rallies hundreds of volunteers for their event each year and distributes proceeds from the festival to local nonprofit organizations. Over the past 40 years, the festival has raised over $11.7 million for Gilroy nonprofit organizations, community groups and schools.
Giving back to the community is at the core of this well-loved, iconic event in Santa Clara County, and it is that longstanding tradition and commitment, and all of our local support, that will help with healing.
Gilroy, we are with you.
