Peninsula women collect needed supplies for still recovering Pajaro residents
PAJARO -- In Monterey County, the town of Pajaro reached a milestone in their storm clean-up Monday as the community continues its long, slow struggle to recover from catastrophic flooding.
It's been about a month and a half since a levee breached and flooded the town. Monday marked the last day for phase one of the clean-up process which involved clearing out debris from flood damaged homes through curbside pick-ups.
But people are still trying to pick up the pieces in this small farming community. As they do so, they're getting some help from families on the Peninsula.
When Adelaide Nye saw the news of the devastating flooding in Pajaro that uprooted peoples' lives in a matter of minutes, her immediate reaction was, "someone should do something about this."
"The truth was, I reflected a little further and thought, 'Why shouldn't it be me?'" she told CBS News Bay Area.
So she posted on Nextdoor, soliciting donations from her neighbors for farmworkers and members of the Pajaro community.
The first person to respond was Cherise Kreisberg, who said she would take donations as well.
"Basically what we did is, we just became partners," Nye said. "We would want someone to help us, so we're just being good neighbors."
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Over the course of the last month, they've collected bags and boxes of donated clothing, food, cleaning and medical supplies, toys and more from the people throughout the Peninsula to bring to the needy residents of Pajaro.
"I think we were expecting maybe a trunk load of stuff," Kreisberg said.
But the community showed up in a big way and continues to do so. To date, they've brought four car-loads of donations down to Pajaro.
"I'm just amazed at the generosity of this community," Kreisberg said. "It's really very cool."
Nye and Kreisberg are working to distribute the donations with Casa de la Cultura, a non-profit that has served the farmworkers and people of Pajaro since 1989, led by Sister Rosa Dolores.
"These are going directly to the community that needs it," she said. "The disaster for us is really not over. Keep us in mind and keep us in your prayers."
Even though phase one of the official clean-up effort is coming to an end, Sister Rosa says there is a very long road ahead for many families. Some still haven't been able to return home.
"The disaster was so immense. It's like a domino effect," she said. "There are still signs of streets where people are not there."
While some people have been able to return to work, she says there are many who still haven't been able to.
"Because people couldn't work, there were no funds and no money to pay the rent," she said. "The looming thing that has been coming is rent assistance."
She says she's touched by the support that has come from people on the Peninsula.
"Thank you. Thank you. We're so grateful that you're thinking of us," she said.
As for Nye and Kreisberg, they'll have more trips in the coming weeks and months from the Peninsula to Pajaro.
"My commitment was to drive one carload a month, for a year," Nye said. "I just believe in giving back."
If you'd like to learn more about how to help out, you can reach Casa de la Cultura Center via their website, by emailing hello@casadelaculturacenter.org, or by calling (831) 763-0702. Monterey County has also created a dedicated web page with information on Pajaro recovery.
