Michele Beard has been homeless off and on for 2½ years, since she divorced from her husband. While sitting in the kitchen at Mountain Community Resources in Felton, the well-spoken 41-year-old said life without a home is about surviving the day-to-day — which can be especially difficult in the winter.

Seven-year-old Cani Johnson flashed a toothy grin as she stepped on a giant floor piano during a music lesson at San Lorenzo Valley Elementary School. Behind her, several other second-graders lined up excitedly for a turn to test their newly acquired note and pitch knowledge.