Benson was the founder of Sacred Heart Community Service, one of San Jose's most visible nonprofit agencies; it provides food, clothing and services to more than 50,000 needy residents each year. But it all began with a single woman helping one family during the holiday season in 1964.

Benson, then a 61-year-old Leona Court resident, was directed to a family in need by a priest. She prepared a gift basket and delivered it to the family's San Jose home that was void of furniture and food. The 7-year-old boy, spotting an orange in the basket, asked his mother if he could have the fruit. Benson watched as a simple orange--which grows abundantly in yards throughout the West Valley--gave the boy joy and sated his hunger.

The experience planted the seed for Benson's larger mission--feed the hungry, clothe the needy and welcome the stranger. She began distributing baskets of food from her two-bedroom home and enlisting the help of friends from the Holy Family Community Service Club. By 1970, Benson and volunteers, including Leanor and Rex Lindsay, were distributing 829 boxes of food during the holidays.

Two years later, under Leanor Lindsay's leadership, Sacred Heart Community Service was incorporated as a nonprofit. Lindsay was the board's first president. She and her husband also provided financial support for more than two decades.

Word spread and Benson's home operation turned into a countywide warehouse-style distribution center. Volunteers sorted clothing in the basement, shelved and inventoried food in the garage, and distributed furniture from the home.

But the home-based organization that attracted low-income citizens became a contentious issue with neighbors. In 1982, under threat of a lawsuit from neighbors, the agency moved to the then-abandoned school at Sacred Heart Parish on Edwards Street.

In their new home, Benson and three nuns added educational and job training classes to their program--providing as many services as possible to help the poor turn around their lives.

In 1986, Willow Glen resident Kay Smith joined the women, becoming one of its few volunteers. Smith says she initially planned to work around the house after her retirement from the Emporium, a department store in San Jose.

"I found that wasn't very rewarding," she says.

Smith was looking for something that would give her a sense of satisfaction and she turned to volunteering. She first inquired at St. Christopher on Curtner Avenue. A nun told her, "Where they really need help is Sacred Heart."

So Smith began working at Sacred Heart Community Service's Clothes Closet. The Clothes Closet was located in a Sacred Heart classroom that quickly filled up with people searching for clothing.

"It was the only place people could get clothes for free," Smith says. That remains true today, she adds.

While Smith was willing to help in any way she could, her favorite task was bagging the clothes customers selected because she could interact with individuals and families, who would sometimes share their stories.

"The amount of people you can help makes you feel glad you're there," Smith says.

Building a foundation

During Smith's early years, Sacred Heart was undergoing a major change. Benson died in 1986. She was called the "Mother Theresa of San Jose" at her funeral. The following year, the board hired Sacred Heart's first executive director, Barbara Zahner, and began its popular Toy Box program, giving new toys to low-income children at Christmas.

Then in 1990, the agency moved into three adjacent buildings on the corner of S. First and Virginia streets. By the late 1990s, the space was overcrowded. Students were turned away from overflowing English classes and preschoolers had to wait months to enter the early childhood education program. The Clothes Closet was cramped; people jostled between racks. Louise's Pantry, which provided groceries and meals, had to turn food away because it lacked storage space.

In 1998, the organization moved once more, to its current location on the corner of S. First Street and Alma Avenue. The organization built a 20,000-square foot center for its 17 programs designed to help individuals become self-sufficient.

Smith, who has seen the organization grow from the classrooms of Sacred Heart Parish to the packed hallways and classrooms of its new building, says the place has thrived because it is well organized, run by a caring staff and committed volunteers. Smith, 85, is entering her 20th year or service at Sacred Heart.

She is one 6,000 volunteers who assist the 35 paid staffers, who provide services to more than 50,000 people annually.

"We'd have to shut our doors without our volunteers," says Debra Sue Stevens, Sacred Heart's interim community relations manager.

The volunteer work can sometimes be tedious--hanging clothes, scanning eligibility cards, reviewing paperwork. But Stevens encourages all her volunteers, from high school students to retirees, to look beyond the surface as Benson did.

It's not the orange that's important, Stevens says, it's how important that orange was to the little boy. Likewise, it's not merely the action of hanging clothes, but allowing others to shop with dignity.

Holiday hope

In November, even before the holiday season kicks into gear, Sacred Heart is bustling. Outside the building, homeless men and women eat lunch and fold clothing. At the welcome center, people line up as early as 7 a.m. to register for free services. The chatter of English and Spanish fills the air, interrupted momentarily by a cry or laugh from the children, who are balanced on their mothers' hips or playing in the hallways.

At the Clothes Closet, men, woman and children shop for five pieces of clothing each, as well as books and accessories, all waiting on well-organized racks labeled in English and Spanish. In here, packaged socks and underwear are treasures. Even a pair of worn Barbie tennis shoes is a young girl's wish granted. "How did they know I wanted Barbie shoes for my birthday?" Stevens overheard the girl say to her mother.

The winter season, however, puts more demands on the Clothes Closet. People--many the working poor--need warm clothing and blankets. The homeless population needs sleeping bags to keep them warm. At Louise's Pantry, families search through racks of breads--bagels, English muffins, baguettes and pizza crusts. The breads are available daily, brought in by volunteers who pick up goods from area supermarkets such as Safeway and Trader Joe's each morning.

Behind the counter, Willow Glen resident and volunteer Debra Weed and the Wednesday pantry crew are distributing groceries. Families qualify for two grocery pick-ups a month.

Families receive a brown bag filled with staples--rice, dry milk, oatmeal, canned goods and fruit. They also receive a small bag of eggs and meat. Seventy percent of the food comes from the agency's partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank.

"One of the things I love about working here is to look people in the eye and smile, and listen to their stories," Weed says.

Some people who come to the counter share their heartbreaking stories with Weed and the other volunteers, such as losing a husband and having eight children to support or coping with severe medical problems while living out of a car.

The volunteers say these stories bring meaning to their work and lives.

"It's just a great place to work; the staff is always so welcoming," Weed says. "They always make us feel that, if we're not here, they will miss us."

Some volunteers stay for decades, donating their expertise. Jack Shaughnessy, who formerly owned a restaurant catering business, works in the pantry. William Blaze, who worked in the computer industry before he retired, now teaches students basic computer skills to help them find work.

Sacred Heart also offers citizenship classes, legal assistance and housing help. In the program JobLink, men and women are provided the tools and resources to find work. JobLink volunteer Nora Comee says she enjoys helping others get a second chance.

"The people you touch are amazing," Comee says. "We're all very fortunate in this valley. You need to give back to fully appreciate what you have."

Along with her computer skills, Comee used her sense of style to assist students Ayeesha Allman and Pooran Haq dress for success at a small fashion show held at JobLink. The show was created to demonstrate proper attire when going to a job interview. JobLink also provides free professional clothing.

Allman says her experience taking free classes at Sacred Heart through the MetroED program will help secure her ideal job--a computer applications support technician.

"Everything is so technical now, you have to be familiar with computers," Allman says. "The classes at Sacred Heart are just as good as a campus class, but we're blessed to have it free."

Haq and Allman were also inspired to give back to the community that helped them get a fresh start. Haq volunteered in the pantry and Allman worked in the Clothes Closet.

Stevens says Sacred Heart volunteers, whether they volunteer for a short time, as Allman and Paq do, or for years as Smith has, are all an extension of the work Benson began 42 years ago.

"People want to get involved in the community," Stevens says. "It's an investment in their heart."

For more information, contact the
volunteer office at 408.278.2171 or via email at volunteers@sacredheartcommunity
service.org

Holiday Helpers

Sacred Heart Community Services will provide 6,300 families with holiday food boxes and 1,800 families with new toys for Christmas.

Sacred Heart welcomes donations and volunteers over the holidays. Here's how to help.

Donations Needed

* Sacred Heart is accepting the following foods for Christmas:

Frozen turkeys (10 to 15 pounds each), hams, frozen chickens, infant formula, beans, rice, potatoes and pasta. Deliveries accepted between Dec. 5-8.

* Easy meals for the homeless are needed, including pop-top items, bottled water or juice, and canned meat, vegetables and fruit

* Toy Box program has a need for 15,000 new, unwrapped toys and gifts. Will accept donations until Dec. 17, before 5 p.m.

* Clothes Closet needs blankets, coats, sleeping bags, and new, packaged underwear and socks

To conduct a drive with a company, school or civic organization, call the Drive Hot Line at 408.278.2163. For more information on donating, visit www.sacredheartcommunityservice.org.

Volunteer Opportunities

* Sacred Heart needs volunteers for its Christmas Food program, setting up and filling boxes, and distributing food from Dec. 9 through Dec. 15 and Dec. 21 and 22.

* Volunteers 18 and over are needed for the Christmas Toy Box program from Dec. 17 through Dec. 19.

* Sacred Heart is needs permanent volunteers throughout the year.