1. Martha’s Village & Kitchen Celebrates Two Anniversaries
2. Chefs Unite to Cook Up Benefits For Martha’s Village & Kitchen
3. Helping Families Break Dysfunction
4. Co-Founders, Past Chair Receive National Recognition

Co-Founders, Past Chair Receive National Recognition
By Diane Glanz – Martha’s Village & Kitchen

Jefferson Award Recipients gather after the presentation ceremony at La Quinta: (from left) Father Joe, Gloria Gomez, U.S. Representative Mary Bono, Claudia Castorena and Tom Martin

   The American Institute for Public Service, in conjunction with local television station KMIR, recently recognized the co-founders of Martha’s Village & Kitchen, Gloria Gomez and Claudia Castorena, as well as former Board Chairman Tom Martin with its prestigious 2003 Jefferson Award.

   Congresswoman Mary Bono, pinch hitting for former President Gerald Ford, presented Gomez, Castorena and Martin with their bronze medallions at a special reception held in Rancho Mirage on May 17.

   Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Senator Robert Taft Jr. and Sam Beard founded the American Institute for Public Service in 1972 to establish a Nobel Prize for public and community service – the Jefferson Awards. The recipients of these awards are ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of recognition or reward.

   The basis of our democracy is that each individual can make a difference. "Neighbors Helping Neighbors" is the cornerstone of volunteerism and the motto of Martha’s Village & Kitchen.