Working hard to serve these families are dozens of local nonprofit organizations, and the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund serves as a simple and important funding source for those that serve residents of Palo Alto, East Palo Alto and Menlo Park.

Now in its 20th year, the Holiday Fund raises money from hundreds of people and organizations and then disburses all of it through grants to nonprofits providing programs and services to the neediest members of the community.

The Holiday Fund has become a simple way for anyone to help others without having to research and decide on donating to a specific agency. By giving to the Holiday Fund, donors know that a committee of Palo Alto Weekly employees, with the additional resources of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, are carefully reviewing grant applications and the qualifications and effectiveness of nonprofits seeking assistance.

And since the Palo Alto Weekly and the community foundation donate all the administrative and marketing costs, 100 percent of the money donated ends up in the hands of the grantee nonprofits.

Donors this year ranged from $10 individual donations to $100,000 given by a long-time Palo Alto family for the second year in a row.

Critical support has for years come from donations made by the Packard, Hewlett, Arrillaga and Peery foundations, whose funds enable all individual gifts to the fund to be matched. And each of the more than 2,000 participants in the annual Palo Alto Weekly Moonlight Run and Walk also helped, since all proceeds of that event go to the Holiday Fund.

Philanthropy is highly valued in our community, and the Weekly is proud to serve as the catalyst for connecting residents desiring to help others with the nonprofits doing the good and innovative work to improve our quality of life.

If you let the holidays pass without making your donation, it's not too late! Simply return the coupon below and, with any luck we can surpass the $400,000 mark by the time our grant decisions are made in March.

On behalf of those who ultimately benefit from your donations, we thank you.