APTOS — When MariaElena De La Garza was growing up in Watsonville, her mother had a phrase she’d often repeat when times were tough: “Cada quien pone su granito de arena,” Spanish for “Everyone contributes their little grain of sand.”

That mantra has been top of mind for De La Garza in the wake of seismic policy shifts at the federal level that have already begun to drain millions of dollars from the budgets of numerous government agencies and nonprofits providing social safety net services. And the crisis is expected to worsen in the years to come.

“Today, when we hear the impacts, when we feel overwhelmed by the realities our communities are facing — that our nonprofits are facing — we need to remember that you bring your granito (grain of sand),” she said. “Whatever that granito is.

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