2nd Quarter, 2015

RECENT PRESENTATION TO THE BUELLTON CITY COUNCIL

Good Evening Mayor and Council Members,

My name is Dayana Zepeda. I currently reside in Buellton and work part time for People Helping People as a Family Service Advocate. I primarily work with seniors and coordinate emergency assistance to prevent homelessness. Services include rent assistance, food, clothing, transportation and health care. I also work part-time as a counseling intern at Santa Ynez High School through People Helping People’s Health and Wellness program. I am here today because I believe in the work we do at People Helping People. Not only do I work with PHP but I have also been served by the organization in the past. I have been a Buellton resident for 15 years and have seen Buellton provide my family opportunities that wouldn’t have been available anywhere else. It is the reason that my husband, a Buellton resident since birth and I, have decided to continue making Buellton our home.

My work at and with People Helping People is my way to give back to my community. In my daily work with seniors and families, I witness the struggle that many go through to make ends meet. In the past year, I have worked with many but in particularly two Buellton seniors stand out in my mind, both struggling to keep a roof over their heads. Both seniors were on the brink of becoming homeless, one living without electricity and water for some months and the other contemplating living in their car because their business closed down and their income was not enough to sustain their rent and basic needs. As a Buellton resident, I would like to think that this is not happening to our neighbors, but my own personal experience and my work at People Helping People confirms that it is a struggle that many confront on a daily basis. People Helping People was able to support these seniors with utilities, food, and other resources in a non-judgmental, dignified and caring manner and these families are now stable.

Earlier in my life, my family was very fortunate to find low income housing and be connected to People Helping People. As a student at the high school, I participated in a youth mentoring program that People Helping People provided which empowered me to learn that I had more options in life and it opened opportunities for a better future. I was the first person in my family to graduate high school, graduate from college and obtain my master’s degree. My family stands as proof that a difference can be made. I come from a family of five siblings. Two of us have graduated with college degrees, one currently attends UCLA and one is college bound after graduating this Spring from Santa Ynez High School.

My family and these seniors’ stories are only a few examples of how People Helping People makes a difference. My work at People Helping People is bittersweet. On one hand, it’s rewarding and on the other it reveals the cold reality that many are living every day in our community. These are our neighbors, students, mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles. It would be wrong to think that we can help everyone, but what would be worse is to not do anything at all. I would like to leave you with a quote from Edward Everett Hale, “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do, interfere with what I can.” Thank you!