A longtime advocate for low-income families in Alameda County, Rose Padilla Johnson played a key role in the 1992 establishment of the Davis Street Community Center in San Leandro. As CEO of the center, Rose Padilla Johnson has pioneered numerous programs that serve nearly 15,000 San Leandro and Alameda County residents each year.
In addition to running several daycare and medical centers, Davis Street Community Center helps local residents acquire valuable practical skills to improve their quality of life. The center’s Nutritional Cooking Classes utilize a well-equipped demonstration kitchen to offer hands-on training in the preparation of affordable, healthy food, which are prepared using groceries that have been donated to the food pantry.
A trained nutritionist offers guidance on shopping with limited resources, choosing the best products, and making informed choices when receiving food from the food pantry. The program offers printed, culturally relevant nutritional information in several languages, while live translation services are available in Spanish and Cantonese.
