• Santa Maria is a saving grace neighborhood resource as we help those facing challenges of insecurity in their lives.

     

    Our food pantry is staffed with volunteers

    and open daily.

     

    Our work and your support for Santa Maria

    are more important than ever.

  • About Us

    Read our Fall 2024 Canticle - the latest from Santa Maria

     

    Santa Maria's legacy of community service - helping to transform lives

     

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    Santa Maria's History

    We know our clients by name; we know their children and their grandchildren. We now have families with children attending college.

     

    Santa Maria Urban Ministry was founded in 1983 to provide emergency food to impoverished families in downtown San Jose, California. Santa Maria has provided a food pantry continuously for 40 years.

     

    Since our beginnings, we have listened to the community needs and started many new services that not only address immediate necessities but to also empower families and individuals to transform their circumstances. To address the increasing numbers of homeless, our Warm Hearts Initiative provides unhoused members of our community with bagged lunches, hygiene kits and in the winter sleeping bags and other resources.

     

    An outreach ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real, Santa Maria welcomes people of all faiths or none and does not discriminate on any basis.

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    Our Mission

    The mission of Santa Maria Urban Ministry is to feed the body, mind, and spirit of the individuals in our community by providing them with food and other basic services, educational programs for all ages, and opportunities to give back through volunteer service.

     

     

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    Our Core Values

    Dignity and respect for all people

     

    Compassion for the under-served

     

    Empowerment of community members to alleviate the impact of poverty

     

    Catalyzing uplifting transformation of the community via a safe, welcoming place with relevant programs

     

    Education as the key to transformation and better futures

     

    Collaboration with our community to provide valued services

     

    Building meaningful relationships with community members

     

     

     

  • Contact Us

    If you have questions, suggestions, or concerns please contact:

    Alfonso Mendez, programs manager

    Email: alfonso.mendez@santamariasj.org

     

    Call Santa Maria Urban Ministry at (408) 292-3314

     

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    Location & Hours

    Food Pantry Hours:  Monday to Friday 9:00 am - 11:45 am
    & every First and Third Saturday of the month 9:00 am - 11:45 am

     

    Location:  On the corner of Union Street and Almaden Ave.
    South of 280 and downtown San Jose

     

    778 South Almaden Avenue
    San Jose, CA 95110-2919

     

     

    Donations of food and clothing are always welcome:

    Monday to Friday 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

     

  • Join Us

    In order to receive services from Santa Maria, come in Monday-Friday from 9:00 -11:45 am, and let us know that you are a new client - we will help you register!

     

    We Serve all Residents of

    Santa Clara County

    What to Bring for your First Visit

    Current Photo ID (Adults)

    Birth Certificate (Children)*

    Proof of Address (ex: PG&E bill, phone bill, piece of mail)

     

    *In order to register dependents, you must be their parent or legal guardian

  • News

    The need for supplemental food is greater than ever before. Santa Maria is distributing over 100,000 pounds of groceries every month helping some 3,000 individuals.

  • Programs

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    Food Pantry & Farmer's Market

    Meeting Immediate Nutritional Needs

    Monday-Friday & every First and Third Saturday: 9:00am - 11:45am

     

    Santa Maria's Food Pantry provides bi-monthly groceries for neighbors in need in San Jose. Produce is bagged fresh by volunteers. We pride ourselves of providing a balanced collection of protein, staples, vegtalbles and fruit.

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    Warm Hearts Initiative

    Helping the Unhoused

    Recognizing the housing crisis and the increasing numbers of people living on the streets, this year we have enhanced our outreach and services to unhoused individuals, with hygiene kits, daily bag lunches, and fresh fruit and vegetables.

     

    During the winter season, we also provide the unhoused with coats, blankets, sleeping bags, ponchos as well.

     

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    VITA Tax Preparation Services

    Clients can get help with their taxes - for free!

    During the tax season only. February-April

    Saturdays only: 9:00am - 12:30pm

    Contact Santa Maria for more information.

     

    Knowledgeable, IRS-trained volunteers help clients prepare their taxes at Santa Maria throughout the tax season.

     

    Come on by to sign up!

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    Adult Learning Classes

    English as a Second Language (ESL) weekday evenings

    For information on classes, contact alfonso.mendez@santamariasj.org

    or give us a call at 408-292-3314

     

    Beginning ESL and Advanced Beginning ESL classes are offered in conjunction with West Valley College to help Spanish-speaking clients learn conversational English. Emphasis is on job skills, daily living and homework help for parents of school-age children.

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    Clothing, diapers & household goods

    Coats in winter, clothing choices, diapers and houshold supplies

    Most weekdays during food pantry hours

     

    Santa Maria helps with donated clothing available for food pantry clients. Donations of househild goods from Target and others include diapers, other baby items and husehold goods.

     

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    Youth Summer Camps

    Our camps keep kids safe and engaged all summer!

    Summer Camps for:

    Elementary students grades 1st through 4th

    For early teens spomsorship to Camp Saint Andrew's

    For information on camp, contact alfonso.mendez@santamariasj.org

    or give us a call at 408-292-3314

     

    Santa Maria's four-week long summer camp is a fun program and weekly field trips to open horizons and keep our community's kids safe, learning and engaged. Santa Maria also partners with Camp Saint Andrew's to sponsor teens to this high sierra camp experience.

     

  • Board of Directors

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    Our Dedicated Board

    Santa Maria Urban Ministry is grateful for the work of its Board of Directors.

    The Board is currently dedicated to accomplishing the many goals they have set for Santa Maria. Our current Board Members include:

     

    Laura Bravo

    Barbara Fishman

    Victor Niemeyer

    Mike Orlando

    Lewis Pollard

    Kenneth Rousseau

    Susan Stanat

    Peter Troop
     

    We are actively seeking volunteers committed to our mission to join our board. Please contact us for more information.

     

  • Meet Our Staff

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    Alfonso Mendez, programs manager

     

    Alfonso came to the Ministry in 2001 as a volunteer, first working in the warehouse food pantry and then becoming a front desk volunteer. He joined us as an employee in 2010.

     

    Alfonso trains and supervises our many dedicated volunteers. Alfonso is dedicated to both improving the lives of our clients and providing fulfilling volunteer opportunities at Santa Maria.

     

    Email: alfonso.mendez@santamariasj.org

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    Fernando

    Torres

    Food Pantry Supervisor

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    Jesús

    Gonzalez

    Front Desk Coordinator

    (Part-Time)

  • Get Involved

    Volunteer and Giving Opportunities

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    Volunteer

    Volunteers are always needed for:

    Food Pantry Support

     

    Organizing, distributing, loading food boxes, etc.

     

    - Monday-Fridays from 9:00 am- 11:45 am

     

    Spanish-speaking is NOT a requirement for any of these volunteer opportunities.

     

    For more information about becoming a volunteer contact,

    Alfonso Mendez, programs manager alfonso.mendez@santamariasj.org

    or give us a call at 408-292-3314

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    At Santa Maria, we love

    and appreciate our

    wonderful donors!

    Donations of food are always welcome. Monetary donations for operations and programs allow Santa Maria to continue its good work for the underserved in our downtown San Jose community.

     

    Donations are gratefully accepted:

    Monday - Fridays, 9:00-2:00 pm

    1st and 3rd Saturdays 9:00am - 11:30am

    or by Appointment

     

    Here's what our clients always need and appreciate:

    - Canned foods (especially protein-rich foods like peanut butter and tuna)
    - Fresh Fruits & Vegetables (from your garden, perhaps?)
     

    We greatly appreciate the generosity of all of our donors. You keep our doors open, our clients fed, our children happy and better educated, our adult students fulfilled...and our many volunteers fully engaged too!