Our Community Service Programs

Transforming Lives • Strengthening Community

Readers Are Leaders Volunteer reading in classroom

Readers Are Leaders

During the 2023-24 school year, our members read two books each month to 1,200 students in 50 second and third grade classrooms. The books, along with related projects, are left in the classroom. Each child received a book of their own to take home at the holidays and 3 books to read over the summer.

Screening Eyes Early working with a child

Screening Eyes Early (S.E.E.)

During the 2023-24 year, the Screening Eyes Early Program screened 498 preschool children at 17 pre-schools to detect early signs of amblyopia (lazy eye) and poor eyesight, alerting parents and teachers to possible sight issues.

Assist-a-Shelter Petting Zoo at Family Supportive Housing

Assist-a-Shelter

Members cook dinner once a month at San Jose’s Family Supportive Housing. Four times a year, they put on a special event for the families. Members also read to Moms and their children at Parisi House on the Hill and volunteer at CityTeam, helping to provide food to the city’s residents in need.

Bagging Uniforms

Operation School Bell®

During the 2023-24 school year, Assistance League of San Jose provided school uniforms and sweatshirts to over 5,000 students in San Jose schools (pants, shirts, sweatshirts, underwear and socks).

Baby in layette from Caring Hands

Caring Hands

In the 2023-24 year, Caring Hands created over 2,600 baby blankets for new moms at local hospitals, plus additional quilts and lap blankets for Parisi House on the Hill, Family Supportive Housing, and two residential care facilities.

Senior Bingo at A Grace

Bingo

Assistance League members provide craft activities, bingo with small prizes, holiday foods and gift bags to residents at San Jose’s A Grace Sub Acute & Skilled Care facility and Stonebrook Convalescent Homes.

Hug-a-Bear

Hug-a-Bear

Assistance League of San Jose donates thousands of teddy bears to organizations serving children in crisis through organizations including the San Jose Police Department, Santa Clara County domestic abuse centers, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and Family Supportive Housing.

Year in Review

94%

of funds raised are returned to the San Jose community

27+

thousand people served in the San Jose community

24+

thousand hours volunteered

News & Events

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Assist-a-Shelter – Parisi House on the Hill 2024-2025

Throughout the year, ALSJ members have actively interacted with clients at Parisi House on the Hill through 📗reading stories, bringing in 🍪🍪baked goods, published authors and stress-relief trainers, and in donating items, including 👕👖clothes,🪀🧸 toys and 📚books.

Screening Eyes Early 2024-2025

Visual impairment in preschoolers can affect motor skills 🏃🏻‍➡️, cognitive development 🤷🏽‍♀️, and social skills 👫. Some conditions such as amblyopia 👁️(lazy eye) can be cured completely if caught early. ALSJ trained screeners uncover dozens of these issues 👀 every year so these children can learn and develop without a visual handicap. 🧑🏻‍🏫

Operation School Bell 2024-2025

In our Operation School Bell® program, we’re not just providing school clothing👫🏻 — we’re helping build self-confidence and ensuring every student feels like they belong. 🥰 A beautiful thank you 🙏🏼we received that says it all: ❤️”Before the end of the school year, I want to say thank you for all your help and collaboration […]

Books for Summer Reading

AL of San Jose Readers Are Leaders volunteers delivered three books 📕📗📘 to every student in the program to keep, take home and read during the summer. 🌞That’s over 3,500 books delivered! The students couldn’t even wait until summer to open their new books.😃💗📖📖📖 It’s important that they keep reading throughout the summer months to […]

May 2025 End of the Year Meeting

At the end of each year, we take a few minutes to reflect, to acknowledge, and to renew. We reflect on the past year’s accomplishments 🧐, we acknowledge last year’s board 👏🏽, and we renew our commitment to service with the induction of the incoming board. 👩‍❤️‍👩

Cooking and Serving at Family Supportive Housing

Our AL of San Jose volunteers had an absolute💥blast 👩🏻‍🍳whipping up and🍛 dishing out a😋 scrumptious feast at Family Supportive Housing! Feast your eyes on this menu magic: Roasted Chicken🍗, ooey-gooey🧀 Mac n Cheese, fresh🥗 Salad,🥖 fluffy Rolls, 🥦 Broccoli Florets (even the kiddos gobbled them up!), 🌽 Corn on the Cob, and a smorgasbord […]

Thank you, Intero Foundation

Thank you ❤️ to Intero Foundation for their generous grant towards our Readers are Leaders program. Your donation will help us continue our mission to instill the ❤️ love of reading in the classroom and at home. Each year we read two 📚books a month from October through April . We leave those books in […]

Gardening Workshop at Family Supportive Housing

On a beautiful sunny Saturday, AL of San Jose volunteers, including our Master Gardener member, helped children plant a garden🌱🪴 at Family Supportive Housing. Each child learned about plants, planted seeds in egg cartons and helped create a tomato garden🧑‍🌾 at the facility. They will enjoy the tomatoes 🍅🍅 at the end of summer and […]

Thank You, Readers Are Leaders!

It’s the end of the school year and Readers Are Leaders volunteers have received kudos from the kids. 👏👏 Their handwritten letters and cards are special rewards🥰 for the readers who instill the joy of reading to over 1,000 San Jose 2nd and 3rd grade students six times a year. Today’s readers are tomorrow’s leaders!📖📖📖

Dining for Dollars FUNdraiser at Jack Holder’s

A couple of times a year, ALSJ members and our families head to Jack Holder’s Restaurant and Bar.We can’t thank Jack Holder’s enough for donating a percentage 💵 of our supporters’ dinners to our cause.

Readers Are Leaders – Last School-Year Reading

In April, AL of San Jose Readers Are Leaders volunteers read the last two books📗📘for the school year. Now every classroom has 12📚📚📚📚new books in their class library and every student has received 6📚📚books of their own to take home. This summer, students will receive 3📚more books to take home and read during the summer […]

Toiletry Kits for Our Community In Need

Each month, AL of San Jose volunteers fill over 80 bags with toiletries🪥🧼🧴🧦🪒 that CityTeam San Jose distributes to people in need in the community. That adds up to over 1,000 toiletry kits for men and women per year, filling a fundamental need in San Jose. These simple donations include toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, lip balm, […]

News & Events

  • All
  • News

Assist-a-Shelter – Parisi House on the Hill 2024-2025

Throughout the year, ALSJ members have actively interacted with clients at Parisi House on the Hill through 📗reading stories, bringing in 🍪🍪baked goods, published authors and stress-relief trainers, and in donating items, including 👕👖clothes,🪀🧸 toys and 📚books.

Screening Eyes Early 2024-2025

Visual impairment in preschoolers can affect motor skills 🏃🏻‍➡️, cognitive development 🤷🏽‍♀️, and social skills 👫. Some conditions such as amblyopia 👁️(lazy eye) can be cured completely if caught early. ALSJ trained screeners uncover dozens of these issues 👀 every year so these children can learn and develop without a visual handicap. 🧑🏻‍🏫

Operation School Bell 2024-2025

In our Operation School Bell® program, we’re not just providing school clothing👫🏻 — we’re helping build self-confidence and ensuring every student feels like they belong. 🥰 A beautiful thank you 🙏🏼we received that says it all: ❤️”Before the end of the school year, I want to say thank you for all your help and collaboration […]

Books for Summer Reading

AL of San Jose Readers Are Leaders volunteers delivered three books 📕📗📘 to every student in the program to keep, take home and read during the summer. 🌞That’s over 3,500 books delivered! The students couldn’t even wait until summer to open their new books.😃💗📖📖📖 It’s important that they keep reading throughout the summer months to […]

May 2025 End of the Year Meeting

At the end of each year, we take a few minutes to reflect, to acknowledge, and to renew. We reflect on the past year’s accomplishments 🧐, we acknowledge last year’s board 👏🏽, and we renew our commitment to service with the induction of the incoming board. 👩‍❤️‍👩

Cooking and Serving at Family Supportive Housing

Our AL of San Jose volunteers had an absolute💥blast 👩🏻‍🍳whipping up and🍛 dishing out a😋 scrumptious feast at Family Supportive Housing! Feast your eyes on this menu magic: Roasted Chicken🍗, ooey-gooey🧀 Mac n Cheese, fresh🥗 Salad,🥖 fluffy Rolls, 🥦 Broccoli Florets (even the kiddos gobbled them up!), 🌽 Corn on the Cob, and a smorgasbord […]

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