Day Worker Center of Mountain View

URGENT NEED 

The Day Center of Mountain View, with your support, plans to help the day workers and their families, who are among those ethnic groups that have some of the highest rates of overweigt/obesity, pre-diabetes, and unhealthy food consuption in the U.S. We are going to prepare healthy foods on site. We hope to purchase low-cost fresh fruit and vegetables and whole grains. We also want to hire a part-time nutritionist who will plan healthy menus, and oversee preparation of breakfast and lunches. This funding will allow us to augment our existing food program with healthy low-cost food from banks and local vegetable markets.

Overview

The Day Worker Center of Mountain View is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization serving the day laborer community in Mountain View, Los Altos, and other surrounding communities. The Center is led by a full-time Executive Director, María Marroquín, who started as day laborer at the center in 1999 and is now a recipient of numerous awards for her work at the Center.

Led by an amazing staff and an enthusiastic, loyal core of volunteers, the Center works to toward the three main pillars of their mission:

• connect day laborers and employers in a safe and supportive environment
• empower workers to improve their socio-economic condition through fair employment, education, and job skills training
• participate in advocacy efforts that support the day laborer community

 

Job Placement

I have hired workers from the Day Worker Center for over ten years and have never had any problems. Everyone has been courteous, hard working and trustworthy. The workers have done some very hard jobs, like splitting wood, and difficult and dirty jobs, like helping my husband insulate under the house, with no complaints and only appreciation for the opportunity to work. - Employer

Each day we connect homeowners, business owners, and contractors with workers from the Center. The Center identifies the appropriate worker for the employer’s needs and helps to determine a fair rate in a low-pressure atmosphere.  All workers are registered with the Center and many have a long history of reliable and courteous service. Unlike other alternatives for day laborers, we ensure a fair working wage and match the pay to the workers’ skills.

The Center serves 80 men and women daily, with about 35% receiving work each day. 75% of employers come from Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Palo Alto. By donating to our cause, you will support our marketing and outreach efforts to attract more employers to the center and generate job opportunities for our workers.

Programs for Socio-Economic Mobility

We prepare people to fly with their own wings. - Director María Marroquín

Almost two-thirds of the workers who show up at the Center each day will not be hired for the whole day. However, the Center encourages productive use of their time by offering skill-building classes that further promotes workers’ economic mobility. The Day Worker Center invites “graduates” from the Center and other professionals to volunteer their time and expertise to teach specifics skills.

The Center is supported by an extensive network of loyal volunteers, who donate an average of 700 hours each month. Our volunteer base includes individuals with a diverse range of talents and backgrounds from surrounding communities. With their help, here are just some of the classes the Center provides:

• English as a Second Language
• Spanish Literacy
• Computer Skills
• Job-Training Workshops such as job skills and resumés
• Tutoring for workers’ children
• Healthy Eating & Fitness
• Gardening & Cooking
• Arts & Crafts
• Living Skills
• Emergency Skills

 

Giving Back

In addition to supporting the day laborer population, the Center contributes to our community in the following ways:

 

• serves as a critical conduit for the city agencies and services to communicate with the Latino community
• provides worker-led community service
• monthly trash pickup on local streets
• donates hand-made blankets for premature infants at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford
• helps coordinate and participate in community events, sponsored by Rotary Club, Run for Zimbabwe, Mountain View Educational Foundation,etc.
• hosts a blood drive four times a year helps senior citizens with community gardens