Giving Compass' Take:

• Manuel Santamaria speaks about an assistance network's efforts to provide emergency food supply and housing to underserved clients.

• How can we take a lesson from what this organization has done in Silicon Valley to support people in similar circumstances across the country?

• Discover more opportunities to support underprivileged people in different communities.

Everyone experiences emergencies from time to time. For some Silicon Valley residents, however, each day is a struggle for financial stability and independence. When an emergency hits, they need somewhere to turn for help. The goal of the Emergency Assistance Network of Santa Clara County is to prevent homelessness, act as a safety net for residents facing eviction, utility disconnection and hunger, and help them return to self-sufficiency.

In this episode, SVCF VP of Community Impact Manuel Santamaria, talks with Marie Bernard, Tom Myers and Josh Selo, executive directors of Sunnyvale Community Services, Community Services Agency of Mountain View & Los Altos and West Valley Community Services, respectively, about how their agencies are responding to increasing safety net service demands in our region.

We're also very funded by the local communities, and there's a lot of pride in all of our communities -- there's the compassion and the care. They believe in supporting these local efforts."

Listen to the full podcast about Silicon Valley's emergency assistance with Manuel Santamaria by Marie Bernard, Tom Myers, and Josh Selo at Silicon Valley Community Foundation.