Davis Street Partners to Boost Programs for People with Special Needs

CEO of Davis Street Community Center since 1991, Rose Padilla Johnson has grown the San Leandro, California organization into one of Alameda County’s leading social service providers to people in need. Davis Street offers life skills education, counseling, and food and nutrition classes, as well as a complement of family service programs and essential medical and dental care, all under one roof. Under Rose Padilla Johnson’s direction, the organization realized major capital funding resulting in the purchase of its more than 22,000-square-foot Teagarden Street site in 2012.

In 2019, Davis Street added another collaboration to its growing list of community partners. It began working with Stepping Stones, which now offers programming out of the Teagarden Street location.

Stepping Stones is a San Leandro-based organization dedicated to people with special needs. Founded in 1975, Stepping Stones aims to reinforce and elevate existing curricula of vocational, social, and personal care skills its clients already receive. It currently serves hundreds of adults who have developmental disabilities.

The Stepping Stones curriculum centers on several tracks, including a health and wellness programming emphasizing consumer-focused education to inspire healthy living. Its employment component provides pre-vocational and interventional help that works on achieving success in the workplace for those with little or no previous job experience.

And, through its Artful Steps program, people at all stages of experience and ability experience the personal growth and transformation that can only occur through creativity. Stepping Stones also showcases participants’ artwork through local events and exhibits.

Nutrition Classes Help Families with Low Incomes Prepare Healthy Meals

Since 1991, Rose Padilla Johnson has leveraged her experience in developing innovative social services to grow the Davis Street Community Center in San Leandro, California, into a central destination for local low-income residents and immigrant families. Among the many services the San Leandro-based organization provides under Rose Padilla Johnson’s direction, one is a series of Nutritional Cooking Classes that teach principles of healthy eating and food preparation.

Studies conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture and other authorities have highlighted an important point: when recipients of supplemental food access receive classes in nutrition, they tend to make healthier grocery purchasing choices. Thanks to the Davis Street Community Center program, class attendees have learned techniques of selecting and preparing budget-friendly, appetizing, and healthy meals.

The program takes place in Davis Street’s own Demonstration Kitchen, facilitated by a credentialed nutritionist. It draws on supplies donated by the center’s own food pantry, and participants learn how to stretch their dollars, and to select the most nutritious offerings from local food distribution centers. They also learn how to change their families’ lifestyles in order to support healthy practices and avoid or address malnutrition and obesity.

The classes have produced numerous success stories. One such case is a man with type-2 diabetes who lost 10 pounds after his spouse brought home new information from the classes. The man’s blood sugar levels also began to correct themselves as a result of his improved diet.