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The Day Worker Center of Mountain View is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization serving the communities surrounding Mountain View, Los Altos and Sunnyvale.

Established in 1996 by day workers, community of faith, elected officials and leaders from local businesses, the Center provides job-matching services for hundreds of local homeowners and businesses annually.

*Pictured left to right: Father Bob Moran, John Rinaldi, Maria Marroquin, Josefina Fregoso, Father Jim O’Donnell, and Job Lopez† on the Center’s 10th anniversary*

The idea

Our vision is a world of diverse communities
where day laborers live with full rights and
responsibilities in an environment of mutual
respect, peace and harmony.

our model

● The services we provide are at no cost to

the user
● Employment connection for day laborers

in a secure and dignified educational

environment
● English and job skills classes give workers
more opportunities to be hired

our impact

● Provides critical income to hundreds of

day laborers. Workers provide around

7,900 hours of work per month to

registered employers
● Access to healthy and balanced meals

twice a day
● Opportunities to practice leadership skills
in the community

Who are the Day Workers?

Day workers are among the most vulnerable members of the economy; the least paid, most unprotected, and most frequently injured members of the domestic work force and with the least access to resources.

They are front-line targets of anti-immigrant hostility and anti-soliciting ordinances, Day Workers on the street are often exploited by unscrupulous employers who take advantage of their lack of English and ignorance of basic rights. *From the article: On the Corner: Day Labor in the United States by Abel Valenzuela Jr, Nik Theodore, Edwin Meléndez; Ana Luz Gonzalez (2006)

The Center provides services for day workers such as job-matching, English as a Second Language instruction, job skills training, legal and medical services.

The center goals are

To develop and improve programs & services for the day workers
Explore new job creation
To develop new strategies to reach potential employers
Continue to strengthen organizational infrastructure
Continue to outreach to day workers on the street
Increase alliances with community partners

*Bronze sculpture in our lobby donated by Jeremy Smith*

Contributing to the Community

In addition to supporting the day laborer population, the Center contributes to our community in the following ways:

for day workers

Reaches out to day laborers soliciting work on the streets to inform them about the center's services
Provides English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to the workers, facilitating interactions with employers and participation in local culture

*Compañeres using the white board as a way to communicate despite the language barrier. One draws and the other uses engineering coding*

FOR THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE

Serves as a critical conduit for the city agencies and services providers, such as Community Services Agency and CHAC, to connect with clients and communicate with the wider Latino community
Helps coordinate and participate in community events sponsored by Rotary Club, Mountain View Educational Foundation, etc.
Helps senior citizens with community gardens
Reduces the need for workers to solicit employment on the streets
Collaborates with the nonprofit Days for Girls to make and donate sustainable menstrual products to girls all around the world. Learn more at https://www.daysforgirls.org
During the pandemic:
○ A group of compañeras made masks to donate to community members
○ Compañeres made hand sanitizer to donate to community members
○ The Center partnered with Valley Medical to offer free Covid testing
○ The Center assisted community members making Covid vaccine appointments

Meet the Executive Director

María Marroquín serves as Executive Director for the Day Workers' Center of Mountain View, and as Treasurer of the Board of Directors of NDLON (National Day Labor Organizing Network). María oversees day-to-day operations at the center and serves as liaison with local employers and the community. Her passion is to empower workers to become members of the community. María is also a graduate of the center's programs.

MARIA SAYS:

“When I finished my first job, I felt like a heroine, that I'm really strong, I'm a survivor. I felt that I was capable of changing my life. More importantly, I became passionate about the day workers. I saw how they struggle, and how they suffer.
This was a great discovery for me and it changed my life. I began coming to the Center to give the workers rides to work, and started to volunteer in the office. I helped to organize the workers: I got involved with community activism, and started going to City Council meetings. At one point, I took English classes at a school that is sponsored by Philanthropic Ventures. Today, they are one of the foundations that supports our work in the community, and I have become the Executive Director of the Center. My story isn't unique. This could be repeated many, many times, thanks to organizations like the Day Worker Center, and the opportunities that they provide.”

STAFF:

In alphabetical order:

Alejandra Pinto-Garcia, Volunteer Coordinator -alejandra@dayworkercentermv.org

Carla E. Dardon, Workforce Development Coordinator -carla@dayworkercentermv.org

Edith Gomez, Outreach & Education Coordinator - edith@dayworkercentermv.org

Luis de la Concha, Programs Coordinator -luisdelaconcha@dayworkercentermv.org

Maria Marroquin, Executive Director -maria@dayworkercentermv.org

Board of Directors:

The Board of Directors is made up of people who are committed to assisting the Center and achieving its mission. Our board members are successful business leaders, community leaders and activists, and members of the day laborer community.

Day Worker Center of Mountain View Board of Directors (in alphabetical order):