From donating an entire furniture collection to furnishing a warehouse to create a home for a family coming out of a homeless shelter, Menlo Park City School District community members have stepped up to help others struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the pandemic hit in March, parents immediately wanted to know how they could help families in need. These inquiries sparked the creation of MPCSD Helps, an initiative that has so far raised over $100,000, in addition to thousands of donations of food, baby items, clothing, furniture and other items for these families, said Parke Treadway, public information officer for the district that operates public schools in Atherton and Menlo Park.

"It's hard to explain how incredibly this network has expanded to meet the needs of our most vulnerable families," Treadway said in an email. "The network has grown just by word of mouth and is quite impressive."

MPCSD Helps is run by the district and Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation and supports over 60 district families regularly with groceries and grocery gift cards. The economic fallout from the pandemic grows and many local families are suffering job loss, home eviction, and food insecurity, according to the district.

"We have managed to get children off of the floor or sofa and into their own bed and keep food on the table, clothe students with summer and now winter items," said Debi Rice, who runs the district's lunch program. "Next will be holiday dinners and gifts. Our need for food will continue for some time with no real end in sight. The families are grateful and in some cases have relied solely on what we can get to them."

MPCSD Helps started with four vans delivering food and school supplies, along with answering questions about school, homework and keeping the connections open in the district, Rice said.

As summer approached, the need for food grew and Rice started to network with friends and the school community. Kelly Morehead and Liliana Perazich also collect food on each side of Menlo Park and deliver it to the district office weekly. Rice and Flor Espinal, the district's family engagement liaison, help deliver the groceries and clothing confidentially on Thursdays to the families most in need.

"Initially, due to COVID, all of the donation houses were closed and not accepting any donations," Rice said. "I started to spread the word that I would be willing to take in clothing and household furniture. I have met the most amazing and generous families that have been quick to provide items and donations that a family may need once the message is sent out."

Several families have welcomed babies since the pandemic started, and MPCSD has been able to set them up with furniture, strollers, car seats, clothing and diapers.

Facebook donates a weekly supply of organic groceries to MPCSD Helps.

During Giving Tuesday, an international fundraising day on Dec. 1, community members raised $11,547 for MPCSD Helps' efforts, according to Carrie Chen, executive director of the education foundation.

Donations of gift cards to Safeway and Amazon, or financial contributions, to MPCSD Helps go toward purchasing food and necessities. Gift cards may be dropped off at the district office, 181 Encinal Ave. in Atherton, between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, or online gift cards sent to mpcsdhelps@mpcsd.org.

Food and necessities, such as cereal, rice, baby wipes, paper towels, fruits, vegetables and other items listed on the district website, also can be dropped off at the district office during the same hours.

For more information, go here.