GFS - History

The presence of Grail Family Services goes back to the early 1960's when the founding organization, the Grail, provided training programs for women going to work in Latin America, community development programs, a meeting place for peace and justice groups (including César Chávez's early UFW organization meetings), women's leadership programs, and neighborhood beautification projects (such as community gardens).

In 1995, the Grail of California established the San José Grail Development Corporation as a separate entity to continue its work in the community. Following in the footsteps of its founders, SJGDC continued to respond to the needs of the community. SJGDC's first undertaking was to address the need for housing, child care, and family support programs with the development of (1) 35 affordable, for-sale housing units; (2) a child development center providing primarily subsidized childcare to 40 children ages two to five; and (3) a community resource center.

Members of our founding organization, the Grail, post a sign at their community center.

Upon completing the construction project in late 1999, the agency turned its focus toward providing direct service, implementing a variety of family support programs through the community resource center and off-site locations. Because of the change in the organization's focus from developing a project to providing services for families with young children, in 2004 the agency changed its name to Grail Family Services to better reflect its work in the community.