The Social Justice Committee facilitates parishioners participating in charity and justice outreach and advocacy by educating parishioners and helping them to volunteer to help the poor and needy, and to be conscious of the sanctity of human life. Our Catholic social teachings are based on the sacredness of human life and the dignity of each human person.
SOCIAL JUSTICE INFORMATIONAL LINKS
The Sacred Heart Parish Social Justice Committee meets regularly. If you would like to join the committee or volunteer to help on specific projects please contact Deacon Don Sifferman: 408 257-2262 or d.sifferm@sacredheartsaratoga.org
Sacred Heart Community Service was founded in 1964, when Louise Benson, then 61, made her first food basket delivery in downtown San Jose. Louise was a faith filled woman who felt compelled to take action as long as her neighbors in Santa Clara County were hungry and in need. SHCS is located at 1381 South First Street in San Jose.
The SHCS mission is to change lives and impact poverty by providing essential services, offering tools for self-sufficiency, and ministering with dignity, compassion and respect. SHCS engages the community and inspire volunteers to love, serve and share. Click here for more information. SHCS accepts adult volunteers, youth volunteers, volunteer groups, and children accompanied by an adult chaperone. SHCS in San Jose collects, sorts, packages and distributes food and clothing to the needy in our community with dignity, compassion and respect.
Our Parish helps SHCS in many ways:
- One trip a month by our volunteers
- Monthly clothing collection at our Church on the third Sunday
- Quarterly money collection
- Turkey drives at Thanksgiving and Christmas
- Sacred Heart School children prepare 200 Food Bags each month for day workers
- Christmas Giving Tree
Our team volunteers at SHCS once-a-month: on the second Monday at 9am to noon and on the fourth Friday from noon to 3pm. We meet at the Sacred Heart Parking lot 30 minutes before to car pool and we return 30 minutes after working. This is a great way to act as a Christian and experience the instant reward of helping others. All parishioners and friends are encouraged to join us. For more information please contact Bill Kroenung at 408-255-6529 or email Bill at billkroen@aol.com
During her lifetime Louise Benson was dubbed “Mother Teresa of San Jose.” She left us with two large non-profit organizations in San Jose: Sacred Heart Community Service and Martha’s Kitchen. As founder of Martha’s Kitchen, Louise Benson put her energy and resources into building an organization for the purpose of serving the poor in the community. Like the many believers of her vision, we wish to pursue her mission and continue her work especially in the area of hunger. This year, Martha’s Kitchen will serve over 200,000 meals to needy men, women and children of the San Jose area. Martha’s Kitchen is located at 311 Willow St. San Jose CA 95110.
A group of our parishioners volunteer on the second Tuesday of each month. We meet in our church parking lot at 3:00pm and carpool to Martha’s Kitchen. We work from about 3:30pm to 5:15pm and then we return to our church parking lot at about 5:45pm. You can also join a number of other shifts and go to Martha’s Kitchen on your own.
If you would like to join our volunteer team you must be at least 16 years old, bring an apron and wear closed toe shoes with non-slip soles. Join us for our monthly visit to MK or you can join a number of other shifts and go to Martha’s Kitchen on your own. To volunteer or to obtain more information please contact Mary Pat Lass at jmpless@comcast.net or (408) 741-5640.
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County serves and advocates for families and individuals in need, especially those living in poverty. Rooted in gospel values, they work to create a more just and compassionate community in which people of all cultures and beliefs can participate.
We hope you will consider sharing your time and talents with those in need. Short-term commitments can usually be accomplished in a few hours. Flexible time commitments may be of longer duration, but don’t have specific hours or appointment times. Long-term commitments provide ongoing assistance to help our clients maintain stable lives and achieve self-sufficiency.
Learn more: click here to go to Catholic Charities Volunteer Opportunities
Christian Living Outreach is a periodic collection of goods for specific items for the poor and the nee=dy. Different goods are donated each time, often based on seasonal needs such as school supplies before school starts, warm coats before the winter season, and Christmas gifts for children before Christmas. Goods are collected at Mass at the start of the month, both at the Thursday Mass attended by our school children and at the corresponding Sunday Masses.
Christian Living Outreach is an outgrowth of the Christian Living program in the parish school whose purpose is to engage students to learn stewardship and discipleship by fundraising and service projects for charity. During the school year, the Christian Living Committee also sponsors a weekly hot lunch. All of the proceeds that are raised, (last year nearly $6,000) are donated to various charities and organizations. Students also hold food drives, book drives, make holiday cards for military personnel serving overseas and greeting cards for the homebound and elderly for various holidays. On the monthly early dismissal Wednesday, sixth, seventh and eighth grade students volunteer in the clothing closet and pantry at Sacred Heart Community Service in San Jose. They assist with hanging clothes and sorting food for Sacred Heart clients for two hours.
For more information or to volunteer please contact Kathy Lambert at katherinlambert@aol.com or 408-374-1664
The mission of the Respect Life Committee is to provide an opportunity for parishioners concerned about life issues to gather and strive to make a difference, and to educate the parish on life issues.
The committee addresses respect for the sanctity of life from conception through natural death. Committee activities include prayer, education, and action. The committee communicates upcoming relevant legislation so that parishioners can contact their elected officials.
The Respect For Life Committee Addresses:
If you are interested in learning more about the Respect Life Committee and its activities, please contact Olga Kelly at olgamkelly@comcast.net or 408-741-0857, or Deacon Don Sifferman at dsifferman@dsj.org or 408-257-2262.
