Meet our Executive Director
Our Executive Director, Kathy Córdova joined Santa Maria in January 2018. Please visit us and meet Kathy in person, she is happy to arrange a tour or discuss ways that you might participate in the good work of Santa Maria.
NEWS/CALENDAR
SAVE THE DATE
Volunteer and Donor Appreciation Day
Saturday April 27, 2019
Details soon!
Contact Kathy Córdova, Executive Director k.cordova@santamariasj.org
or give us a call at 408-292-3314 for more information.
We still need
PRESCHOOL TEACHERS
Join our wonderful volunteer teaching teams
Just one fun-filled morning a week with our adorable 3 and 4 year olds!
Please contact Kathy Córdova at k.cordova@santamariasj.org
ABC Playtime preschoolers learn their
ABCs and so much more!
Mon-Thurs., 10am - noon.
Teachers and helpers needed for fall.
Come join the fun!
Want to know what we do here?
Watch our video.
Learn how Santa Maria helps our clients. Every day in every way.
Thanks for Supporting Fiesta for the Future
35th Anniversary Celebration
Food, Fun and Friends
So delighted with the outpouring of love and generosity at Santa Maria's 35 year Anniversary celebration in August. We couldn't have done it without you!
This event netted more than $24,000 to help us continue our mission to improve lives by service to the downtown San Jose community and surrounding areas through basic services, including food, clothing and educational support. We are well on our way toward our Anniversary Campaign goal of "35 for 35" We hope to raise $35K...Please consider helping us with a donation toward the remaining $11,000.
WHAT WE DO and WHY
OUR MISSION:
Santa Maria Urban Ministry provides our community with a safe,
welcoming place for basic services that meet short-term needs,
and educational and targeted services to promote permanent, uplifting transformation.
OUR VISION:
Santa Maria strives to provide life-changing services for our downtown San Jose community,
continually improving the lives of our client families by serving as a resource center
for both immediate and transformative services.
WHO WE SERVE:
Located near downtown San Jose, Santa Maria serves the adjacent low-income neighborhoods.
Most of our clients initially come to Santa Maria
for our well-stocked Food Pantry services, and then become a part of our community
through our educational programs and their own service here.
HOW WE'RE DIFFERENT:
Santa Maria is a small, nimble and close-knit community resource center.
We know our clients by name; we know their children, their grandchildren.
We have families with children attending college now
who started school at our ABC Playtime Preschool more than 20 years ago.
Our clients come back to us because they are a part of Santa Maria's very fabric.
Many start as clients and then become volunteers here themselves.
Clients receive food for their family and help us pack food boxes for neighboring families.
Parents with children in our educational programs can be seen here daily cooking, organizing, cleaning
and contributing to the lifeblood of Santa Maria. Long-lasting friendships form here.
At Santa Maria, the personal touch lies at the very heart of all that we do.
WHAT ARE OUR CORE VALUES?
• We share a compassion for the under-served in San Jose
• We want to improve the lives of our community members
• We believe that the best way to uplift our community is to provide a safe,
welcoming place of transformation that feels like a second home
• We provide free educational programs because we believe that
education is the key to transformation and better futures
• We work closely with our community
to provide the most valued programs and services
• We aim to develop meaningful relationships within our community, every day
Food Pantry
Meeting Immediate Nutritional Needs
Monday-Friday: 9:00am - 11:45am and
Every 1st and 3rd Saturday: 9:00am - 11:45am
Santa Maria's Food Pantry provides bi-monthly supplemental food for the downtown San Jose community. We serve low income individuals and families in these zip codes: 95110, 95112, 95117, 95125, 95126, 95128, 95131, 95132, 95134 and 95192 (SJSU campus).
ABC Playtime
Preschool fun and learning for children, ages 3-5
Monday-Thursday 10:00am - 12:00pm
Program runs September - May
ABC Playtime provides children ages 3-5 with pre-Kindergarten preparedness. ABC is a no-fee, play-based program that teaches ABCs, colors, numbers, shapes and proper classroom behavior. Teachers and aides are all volunteers. Children must be 3 years old by September and potty-trained. Class is limited to 12 children.
Studio - Our After School
Homework Center
Tutoring for up to 25 school children, ages 7-13
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 4:00pm - 5:30pm
Studio gives students in grades 1 - 8 homework help and tutoring. Students work one-on-one with volunteer tutors to complete homework assignments and work on proficiency in needed subjects. After homework is completed, students may use the supervised computer lab, do crafts or play sports outside.
ESL and Adult Learning
ESL Tutoring and special adult education classes
ESL: Mon-Friday: 10:00am - 11:45am
For information on classes, contact alfonso.mendez@santamariasj.org
or give us a call at 408-292-3314
ESL helps Spanish-speaking clients learn conversational English. Emphasis is on job skills, daily living and homework help for parents of school-age children. Classes are for beginning (M, W, F)and intermediate (T,W, Th)English speakers.
Teen Leadership Program (TLP)
Santa Maria provides a safe place for teens to gather and learn leadership skills, perform community service and be mentored to pursue higher education.
Program will resume in late Spring 2019. Contact k.cordova@santamariasj.org for program information.
Previous Teen Leadership programs have included college tours, gang prevention seminars, community clean-up days, car wash fundraisers and field trips.
Clothes Closet
Regular Santa Maria clients may select items from our Clothes Closet.
Monday - Friday: 9:00am - 11:45am and
Every 1st and 3rd Saturday: 9:00am - 11:45am
Clients who regularly receive food from the Food Pantry may also receive items from the Clothes Closet twice a month. The Clothes Closet offers adult and children's clothing, accessories and shoes.
VITA Tax Preparation Services
Clients can get help with their taxes - for free!
Saturdays only: 9:00am - 12:00pm
During the tax season only. February 2-April 13, 2019
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!
Summer Camps for Youth and Teens
Our camps keep kids safe and engaged all summer!
Summer Camps:
Studio Summer Camp for elementary students
Teen Leadership Camp for teens
Contact Alfonso Mendez: alfonso.mendez@santamariasj.org for more information.
Free 6-week camps every summer keep our community's kids safe, learning and engaged. Weekly field trips enhance the camp experience. (More photos in photo gallery.)
Location/Hours:
Santa Maria is open Monday - Friday,
9:00 - 11:45 am and
Every First and Third Saturday:
9:00am - 11:45 am
We are located near downtown San Jose:
778 S. Almaden Ave., (cross street is Union)
San Jose, CA 95110
(408) 292-3314
Visit today to see what we have to offer you!
(or see how you can help!)
Santa Maria is closed on these holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Day, President's Day, Good Friday, the Saturday before Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving weekend - including Wed-Sat.
SUPPORT SANTA MARIA
Volunteer and Giving Opportunities
Help by Volunteering or Donating!
Here's how you can help - today!
Volunteers are needed for all educational programs and our Food Pantry. Donations of food and clothing are always welcome. Santa Maria Urban Ministry is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. 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 9:00-11:30 am
1st and 3rd Saturdays 9:00am - 11:30am
or by Appointment
Here's what our clients always need and appreciate:
- clothing and shoes for our clothes closet (especially men's and /baby clothes)- diapers
- socks and hygiene items for the homeless
- canned foods, especially protein-rich foods like peanut butter and tuna
- fresh fruits and vegetables (from your garden, perhaps?)
- school and craft suppliesVolunteers are always needed for:
- Studio After School Homework Center (Mon/Tues/Thur,4:00 - 5:30 pm September thru May)
- ABC Playtime preschool program (Mon - Thur, 10am - noon)
- Food Pantry support (organizing, loading food boxes, etc.) Monday - Fridays 9:00-11:45 am- Front Desk client check - in (training provided)
Spanish-speaking is NOT a requirement for any of these volunteer opportunities. For further information about becoming a friend of Santa Maria Urban Ministry, contact:
Kathy Córdova, Executive Director, k.cordova@santamariasj.org
At Santa Maria, we love and
appreciate our wonderful donors!
Special thanks to the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real for its founding of Santa Maria as a Diocesan ministry in 1983, and its continual support ever since.
Special thanks to St. Jude's, Cupertino, CA
for its tremendous, game-changing financial support and to its many supportive parishioners who give time, talent and treasure to Santa Maria on a regular basis.
Special thanks to Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church, Saratoga, CA http://www.st-andrews-saratoga.org
for its long-term generous support of SMUM.
And huge thanks to St. Timothy's, Mountain View, for its active and enthusiastic support and fundraising efforts on our behalf. http://www.sttims.org
To our newest and extremely benevolent supporter,
The Valley Foundation www.valley.org, we extend heartfelt thanks! Your generosity will make BIG NEW THINGS possible for us!
Special thanks to the Wu Family Foundation and the Leonard Foundation for steadfast support of Santa Maria throughout the years. And we welcome and thank the Smith Family Foundation for their generous support.
Great thanks to these supportive friends of Santa Maria who have provided funds through grant opportunities:
- Santa Clara County Realtors Foundation
- AAUW; American Association of University Women,
San Jose Chapter
- City of San Jose, Mayor's Gang Prevention Task Force
- Maria Kip Orphanage Foundation
- Silicon Valley Community Foundation
- Health Trust
Many thanks to all the Episcopal and other churches, friends, volunteers, corporations and agencies who support Santa Maria and our mission.
Thanks to all who contribute donations -financial or in-kind.
Special THANKS to JP Graphics, Santa Clara:
www.jp-graphics.com for our beautiful logo!
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!
A Safe Place of Welcome, Service and
Uplifting Transformation
Santa Maria Urban Ministry is a 501(c)(3).
Our tax ID number is: 91-1811780
We accept in-kind donations of food, clothing and educational supplies. Monetary donations are greatly appreciated.
Online donating via PAYPAL is available below.DONATE TODAY!
Make your dollars work to help others.
Your generous contribution to Santa Maria Urban Ministry is tax-deductible. Rest assured that your donation will go toward our efforts to help the underserved of downtown San Jose.
Our tax ID number is: 91-1811780
WHO WE ARE
Our History
Santa Maria Urban Ministry was founded in 1983 to provide emergency food to the hungry residents of downtown San Jose, California. An outreach ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real,
Santa Maria has featured a food pantry for 36 years and offers educational and targeted programs to promote permanent,
uplifting transformation.
Our Mission
Santa Maria Urban Ministry's mission is to provide our community with a safe, welcoming place for basic services that meet short-term needs and to promote permanent, uplifting transformation for client families through education, service and targeted programs.
OUR STAFF
Meet our Executive Director,
Kathy Córdova
Ms. Córdova, born and raised in San Jose and an SJSU graduate, brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and heart to the job of Executive Director.
Kathy continues to develop an even greater vision for the future of Santa Maria and its unique community-based approach to uplifting the underserved in San Jose. She helps the organization strategize about new ways to address the needs of low-income families and ease hunger and poverty.
Meet our Program Manager,
Alfonso Mendez
As Operations Manager, Alfonso is involved in the daily managing of all the programs at Santa Maria - Food Pantry, Clothes Closet, and educational programs. He also trains and supervises our many dedicated volunteers. Alfonso came to the Ministry in 2001 as a volunteer, first working in the warehouse and then becoming a front desk volunteer. He joined us as an employee in 2010.
He is dedicated to both improving the lives of our clients and providing fulfilling
volunteer opportunities at Santa Maria.
Our Board of Directors:
Santa Maria Urban Ministry is grateful for the work of its Board of Directors. The Board has developed a Strategic Plan and is working toward accomplishing its many goals.
The Rev. George McDonnell, (currently on leave)
Joanna Shreve, Treasurer
Bruce Friesen
George Jewett
Kenneth Rousseau
Carl Thomas
Peter Troop
Patti Wilczek
PLEASE LIKE US ON FACEBOOK
Find Out More Today!
Phone
(408) 292-3314
Email
K.Cordova@
santamariasj.org
Facebook
Santa Maria Urban Ministry
PHOTOS
Active Community Life at Santa Maria!
Come join the fun!
