A well-established Palo Alto environmental nonprofit, with many projects underway, most notably the…read morehabitat restoration and stewardship project on Arastradero Preserve, a collaborative effort with the City of Palo Alto that has been going on for 10 years. Visit their website to learn about their many other projects, which change periodically as Acterra responds to changing conditions and priorities. Props go to Acterra for Arastradero, the Business Environmental Awards, and their ongoing fiscal sponsorship program, which has nurtured many powerful, high-impact local environmental startup groups over the last 20 years. Occasionally, however, they seem to experiment with rather slow-moving in-house programs that generate fanfare and consume funding but are light on delivering results. This, I find, is not a judicious use of public-benefit funds. In all fairness, of course, not all projects succeed, and some experiments are worthwhile; nevertheless, some recent projects such as the "Green@Home" initiative (which sends "tiger teams" of three people to "green" a single household by installing CFL bulbs and whatnot) just seem outright goofy from a cost-benefit perspective. Because of this recent trend towards slow, expensive 'wonderfulness" in preference to rapid, tangible achievements, I suspect they would benefit from some fresh blood and fresh perspectives somewhere in the upper echelons of the organization--board or management. On balance, though, this 30-year-old outfit is doing a great job of pursuing its primary mission of "acting locally" for the good of the environment, and has enriched the lives of many, many local people who have volunteered with Acterra's projects or attended its events.

I attended my first Acterra Business Environmental Awards last week and came away from it feeling…read moreso uplifted and inspired. This event draws much-needed attention to businesses that promote sustainability, creating a strong community of learning, support, and mutual inspiration. Their other projects are also so cool and seem to fly under the radar; right now they are working to convert people to driving electric cars as well as installing free solar panels on the homes of low-income Bay Area residents to lower their energy bills. If you are able to volunteer with them or donate, I really recommend it!

I came from China a few years ago. I stay at my daughter's house to take care of her kids. Now that…read morethey are all in school, I do not have much to do. One day I hopped on the Palo Alto free shuttle. I heard two Chinese people talking about La Comida. They said that seniors , those over 60, are welcome to go there for lunch. I joined them, and went to their lunch program at Masonic center, in downtown Palo Alto. I am so happy to meet some other Chinese speaking diners. The food is full of nutrition, freshly prepared daily. It includes salad, main dish ,side dishes and dessert, plus coffee/tea, and milk. The helpers are all volunteers, they are so kind and caring. I am going there often now. There is live music , movie day, line dancing on Wednesdays, and games to play. Please encourage your parents to come and join the lunch program.

After eating at La Comida last week and having a wonderful meal I was impressed by the fresh…read moreingredients used. The quality of the salad, main course and dessert were all yummy. I have eaten at Stevenson House and Masonic and both had nice placemats and flowers that set a nice feeling. I recommend you try it.

Unprofessional. Do not donate to these people…read more CSA advised me to get a 3-day pay-or-quit notice from my landlord. They said they'd put me on a waitlist for rental assistance. So I did that. Three months later, CSA hadn't even contacted my landlord. My landlord refused to accept my offer for partial rent and has proceeded with eviction. One of the women there, Jocelyn (or Jacklyn?), is always neurotic and hostile to me. I have no idea why.

Amazing agency with professional staff who are kind and hard working. They have a great food pantry…read moreand have great volunteers. They have amazing events for their clients and aim to provide as much as possible

Second Harvest of Silicon Valley is one of our preferred charities. Lets face it, there were people…read morealready hurting before COVID hit and now that's all the more exacerbated. When it comes to food security or a lack thereof, you need a charity that literally helps put food on peoples table. They provide food for those that would otherwise have to do without. They also take fruits and vegetables (You must call ahead and set it up) along with the more typical donations. In addition you can also volunteer to help sort and setup. They have a website to help direct you. However, it is very popular and sometimes days are already filled up. As with all charities they need our help. How can you help? 1) Food donations. Every bit helps 2) Volunteer to help out 3) Cash is king. Consider a cash donation so they can pay for operations and buy essential items that they don't get donated. I mean how many cans of pumpkin filling can you make someone eat right?

I have incurable cancer. I have been through chemo and have lingering serious side effects so…read moregetting to a food pantry is hard not to mention. I don't have a car. I found Second Harvest Food Bank delivers food to the door. So I applied and they have been delivering to my door when they don't send lazy delivery drivers that leave my food outside my apartment building for everyone to get, or in the lobby or in the mail room to leave my food to rot. Even if I could go to the lobby or mail room, I can't lift my box and bring it up five floors. Not to mention, I don't get notification that the food box has even been delivered so I don't know if it's been delivered to the lobby, mail room, or left outside. I have called several times explaining I am not getting my food boxes, even though they send out another food box 5 days later, I shouldn't have to wait five extra days for food. Not to mention 7 out of 10 times I get my box it's loaded with rotten fruit and vegetables full of mold. To which by the way I am highly allergic to food mold. I have called. I have spoke to supervisors. I have spoken to several different people at Second Harvest Food Bank. They apologize. Which I appreciate, but that doesn't help me with my food. They said if you don't want to receive moldy fruit and vegetables come and pick up the box yourself. Nice I would if I could. I'm sure others with my health issues and my age would attest to the fact that we would do a lot of things if we were physically capable of doing it. So apologies fall on deaf ears because I still don't receive my food boxes when I should and like I said half the time the food is rotten full of mold. Shaking my head because I see the commercials and I see people donating to which I appreciate. I see people in their cars in line getting all this beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables not to mention holiday boxes to which I don't receive a holiday box I don't get anything to celebrate Easter, Thanksgiving no turkey, no Christmas box just beans and rice is what people who get their food delivered get along with moldy fruit and vegetables. I guess that is Second Harvest Food Bank's way of saying happy holidays. You don't get a holiday box you don't need to celebrate a holiday.

As a wedding planner, I had an event at Redwood City Elks Lodge in May 2023. The mother of the…read morebride is a member which led us to the venue. Venue: - The space is extremely flexible and easy to dress up or down! - There are a lot of additions that were great for a party: including a stage, twinkle lights on the windows, and a disco ball. - The main ballroom is split in half with hardwood and carpet. This was extremely helpful as it was a built-in dance floor so that we didn't need to source one. - It was a bit chilly so that the patio overlooking the pool wasn't used much, but in the daytime and evening, it provided a great view! - It's always great to have tables and chairs on-hand. Their contract mentioned particular numbers of tables and chairs, though their inventory is larger than what was written in. During a previous site visit, they had 2 types of chairs that were mis-matched, though by the time the event came, they had replaced these with all matching ones. - The ceremony arch is leaning backwards a bit, but nothing that some linens and flowers can't fix! Having a ceremony arch included with the venue already is a huge plus. - There are a few ground squirrel holes in the ceremony site that could be difficult to walk on - this was easily avoidable by letting all our guests know to either wear flat shoes or chunky heels and to watch where they step. - The ceremony site is a bit of a walk from the reception, though golf carts were readily available for mobility-impaired guests. - The driveway or main entrance can be a bit tricky to find for those unfamiliar. It is set back between two residential houses, so if there are cars parked street side, the sign can be easily missed. Venue staff: - During our planning, we worked with Jared in the pre-planning and Staci on the event day. - Both venue coordinators were extremely helpful and friendly! They were both quick to respond to emails and provide information. If they did not know the answer, they were courteous and professional in getting a firm answer within just a few days. - I would note that there were some miscommunication issues earlier in planning with the board. Jared and Staci were both new to their positions at the time that they had began working with us so they weren't quite familiar with the nuances of the venue yet. They were both great in finding the answers we needed and being the middleman between my clients/myself and the board members at the lodge. - My site visit with Jared was extremely helpful with his knowledge and what is or is not permitted. Event execution: - The bar was provided by the venue. The bartenders were great and helped batch signature cocktails at the beginning. They handled large volumes very well! - The bar was split into two parts: one for "members only" and another for general guests. Considering our event had used the entire main ballroom and bar area, I felt that the bar should have been closed for public access or both lines should have been made available for the event guests. - The kitchen space is perfect for any caterer - there is adequate space for both preparations and bussing. In addition, it's always helpful to have on-site industrial kitchen appliances, a walk-in refrigerator, and an ice machine ready to go. - Catering was able to park on a patio area which doubled as a loading zone. This allowed easy entry into the kitchen and back areas without too much movement. - Restrooms: all restrooms were clean and maintained well. For 120 guests, the number of stalls available was perfect so that there was never a line. - Staci helped tremendously with set-up and helping guests who required the golf-cart. Despite only stepping into the role, she was a huge help with her knowledge of the venue! - There was plenty of parking available for active golfers, event staff/vendors, and all our guests. - The ceremony site is a distance from power, so if you are planning any music out there, I would strongly recommend a portable generator as a bluetooth speaker may not be loud enough in the open space. Overall, I would definitely recommend Redwood City Elks Lodge as a venue for all event types. In addition to the main ballroom and ceremony site, they also have a picnic area with a pit barbecue that would be great for a summer party. There is also a small stadium that would be great for performances or even something like a cornhole championship. It seems like you will need to know a member or apply for membership to host an event here, though if you're someone who is always looking to celebrate and lives in the area, Redwood City Elks Lodge is a great go-to spot!

Great place to golf. You don't need to be a member but if you become one you have use of the gym…read moreand pool. And we have a members bar to watch sports with our tasty beverages. Pool tables, shuffleboard, darts and ping pong.

We are super grateful to have a place like Ronald McDonald! My daughter is recovering from a heart…read moresurgery and getting ready for a heart transplant. Being local to Stanford is necessary just in case of an emergency and this place is a blessing to us! I do have to say this place needs more cameras to avoid disguising people making a mess everyone! I hate entitled people who think they can make a mess and have someone clean it up. The staff is always super friendly. We are raising funds for a heart transplant please reach out to me directly for information on how you can help us share the fundraiser link. Just sharing it in your social media will help us enormously!

Really nice place for families that need a place while children are in the hospital. Place Is…read moreclean and has great resources

Frankly, there are not enough stars available to rate this organization. Wish the word would…read morespread. This is a protocol nationally for providing highest quality services for elderly - particularly the Rosener House day program. Dignity, respect support for those who attend and a break for care givers, Peninsula Volunteer also provides Meals on Wheels, and an activity center for the community ... If you have an elderly parent, friend or relative who could benefit from socially engaged program and you work, or need a break - it is worth any drive you'd make. Outreach transportation and others do pick up and delivery of your loved one for a small fee. Rosener House gives "wellbeing" a whole new meaning...seriously. I have a relative that attended for years...

Now I'm all set.. EHP is Pawsome. Started getting furniture in january 2025 and now i have a full…read morehouse in March. High quality, free delivery to certain areas... Compassionate and kind EHP staff. And I also want to Thank the people who donate to EHP ...community working together.

I have donated many things to EHC because I know they are doing good and helpful work for the local…read morecommunity. I have always experienced kind help when I am donating. Many volunteers there, bless their hearts!