Saturdays at the Travel Inn, a volunteer program founded by Benicia High School graduates, was presented with a certificate of recognition by Assemblymember Tim Grayson. Pictured from left to right are core volunteer Jacob Aranda, core volunteer Brian Williams, co-founder Sara Gallagher, Grayson, volunteer Andrew Romano and volunteer Brooklyn Danels. (Photo by Maria Guevara)

“Saturdays at the Travel Inn,” a volunteer program founded by Benicia High School alums Sara Gallagher and Jeff Foster, strengthened its volunteer base and received special recognition from state officials at a special Meet and Greet event Saturday.
“Seven new faces came and volunteered,” Gallagher told the Herald Thursday, with a total of 13 volunteers helping the 12 children that day.
“It was Saturdays as usual,” Gallagher said, “which is what we intended.”
The new volunteers were able to see exactly what it was like to spend the regular, Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. event with the kids. Gallagher and Foster bring breakfast, which they usually prepare at home, and others sign up to bring lunch, often donated by local eateries. Volunteers spend time visiting and playing with the kids, who are otherwise mostly unsupervised during the day.
“Since the GoFundMe campaign started, Saturday was the first week we were able to use donated funds to pay for the breakfast. That day, we made salad to go with the pizza for lunch.” A total of 14 volunteers participate in the program when they are available, although to date there have generally been only four volunteers present on any given Saturday, according to Gallagher.
The Meet and Greet event also brought some special recognition to the program from California legislators. Assemblyman Tim Grayson had gotten wind of the program and showed up Saturday with a certificate of recognition from the legislators of the California State Assembly. Grayson visited with the kids and met with all of the volunteers, and vowed to stay in contact, offering aid, connections, resources and anything else his office could help with. “He offered to help coordinate a trip to the state capitol for the kids, and to be there on the date of the trip to show them around.”
Saturdays at the Travel Inn was conceived when Foster, a Benicia realtor, was at a meeting where a speaker from Vallejo Together talked about helping families with special housing needs and mentioned the children who spend a lot of time unsupervised at the inn. With the help and support of Travel Inn owner Jay Kang, the inn has been serving as a temporary housing destination for some time, offering support to families in need.
Gallagher and Foster sometimes arrange outings for the kids, with permission from their parents. On Wednesday, the two joined Vallejo Together and other area service organizations on a group trip to the movies. The Vallejo Police Department provided the movie tickets, and volunteers provided popcorn and after-movie pizza.
Some of the volunteers Saturday talked about tutoring the kids, and one offered to help out with some soccer or track activities, since she had coached sports and enjoyed providing active programs for kids. Gallagher said she encourages all volunteers to provide what they enjoy most. “I’m a firm believer that people should volunteer with what comes from their own hearts. For me, it’s doing arts or crafts. This woman who came Saturday used to teach in a girls’ soccer league.”
Another volunteer told Gallagher she was interested in expanding on the program by pioneering something similar at other locations.
“We (the volunteers) will meet after the new year to talk more about all the ideas,” Gallagher said.
She is looking forward to further contact with Assemblyman Grayson, hopeful that with his help, the pair will be able to offer even more help and support to the kids and their families.
For more information about the program, visit the GoFundMe page at gofundme.com/saturdaysatthetravelinn.

Sharing is caring!