About Us
Read our Fall 2024 Canticle - the latest from Santa Maria
Santa Maria's legacy of community service - helping to transform lives
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.
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.
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
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
Programs
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
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
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
Fernando
Torres
Food Pantry Supervisor
Jesús
Gonzalez
Front Desk Coordinator
(Part-Time)
Get Involved
Volunteer and Giving Opportunities
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
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!
Photos
Active Community Life at Santa Maria!(For more pictures check out our Facebook Page!)
