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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Mr. Mojito FUNdraising Event – July 30th

Meet up with family and friends on the patio at Mr. Mojito. Enjoy some excellent food and support our community programs. Mr. Mojito will donate 15% of every order from the regular menu to our community programs. Download the Mr. Mojito flyer from our Fundraising or Member Resources web page and bring the flyer with […]

Screening Eyes Early 2023-2024 Accomplishments

The AL of San Jose Screening Eyes Early program was busy in 2023-2024. 44 volunteers screened 498 children in 17 preschools, referring 27 of them to doctors for further exams. 👓13 of the children received glasses, 2 with amblyopia (lazy eye) which must be recognized very early to be successfully corrected. Thank you volunteers!

Packing Food at CityTeam

Our volunteers always have a delightful time filling bags with food items to help those in need at CityTeam. Food packing takes place three times a month and each time we are always striving to fill as many bags as possible in the two hour timeframe. This last visit we filled over 200 bags! Want […]

Selecting Books for the New School Year

Readers Are Leaders volunteers are busy selecting books 📚to read to 2nd and 3rd grade San Jose students during the 2024-25 school year. Two books 📘📙will be read each month, but the readers carefully read and discussed 60 options to determine the 12 books for the year. The final 12 will include fiction, science and […]

Hug-a-Bear 2023-2024 Accomplishments

In 2023-2024, the Hug-a-Bear program delivered 800 bears to five San Jose agencies: Children’s Advocacy Center, Family Supportive Housing, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, Parisi House on the Hill and the American Red Cross of Silicon Valley. Sometimes a 🧒🏽 👶🏼 child is feeling 😢 sad and😔 lonely. The playfulness of the our 🧸 Hug-a-Bears […]

Did You Know?

35 years ago in 1988, AL of San Jose members began furnishing bears to adults and children in crisis. This was our 3rd program and it was named Operation Hug. It is now called Hug-a-Bear. In 2023-2024 we distributed 🧸800 bears to adults and children. Our cuddly bears continue to provide comfort. Everyone needs a […]

Thank You to Our Business Partners

A huge thank you to our fabulous sponsors who make our community programs possible: David Lewis Group, Design Matters, Michael Ginsberg JD, CFP, Star One Credit Union, Santa Clara County Realtors Foundation, Safeway Foundation, Sereno 1% for Good Ecosystem Fund and the Intero Foundation, Inc. We are so grateful 🎉 for the incredible support and […]

Operation School Bell 2023-2024 Accomplishments

Operation School Bell® soared through schools with almost 6,000👕 👖 uniforms, over 4,200 sweatshirts,🧦7,500 pairs of socks & 2,000 🩲 pairs of underwear – just look at those 🤗 numbers! So many members participated and volunteered their time!👏🏼 They served not only our schools but Momentums for Health’s Parisi House on the Hill, Alum Rock […]

2024 Charter Luncheon

AL of San Jose members enjoyed a beautiful luncheon🍽️ to share program achievements and celebrate a successful 2023-24 year. 🎉 Table centerpieces created from souvenirs of members’ travels ✈️🚢🚙🧳reflected our new President’s theme of making the same connections when we volunteer in the community as we make when we travel the world. 🌎We transitioned to […]

Operation School Bell – Uniforms Are Here!

🤷🏻‍♀️ Do you know why school uniforms are so important? 👏🏼 They help to create a level playing field among students, reduce peer pressure and bullying, and education then becomes the focus over clothes!! 👖👕 AL of San Jose’s Operation School Bell® (OSB) volunteers are ready to get to work now that our school uniforms […]

Readers Are Leaders 2023-2024 Accomplishments

During the 2023-24 year, approximately 100 members of Readers Are Leaders read to 1173 students in 50 classrooms in 10 schools. AL of San Jose contributed 300 teacher books, 12,830 student books, 9,360 accompanying projects and 3,519 summer reading books. 12 teachers received up to $50 reimbursements for purchasing books for their classroom. Today’s Readers […]

Guest Speaker at Parisi House on the Hill

👏 A special guest was invited to May’s Story Time at Parisi House on the Hill for the moms in recovery and their little ones. Children’s author ✍🏿 Krystaelynne Sanders Diggs spoke to the mothers at @parisihouse and read to them from her book, “The ABC’s of Consent”. Krystaelynne generously gifted 📖autographed copies of “The […]

News & Events

  • All
  • Events
  • News

Mr. Mojito FUNdraising Event – July 30th

Meet up with family and friends on the patio at Mr. Mojito. Enjoy some excellent food and support our community programs. Mr. Mojito will donate 15% of every order from the regular menu to our community programs. Download the Mr. Mojito flyer from our Fundraising or Member Resources web page and bring the flyer with […]

Screening Eyes Early 2023-2024 Accomplishments

The AL of San Jose Screening Eyes Early program was busy in 2023-2024. 44 volunteers screened 498 children in 17 preschools, referring 27 of them to doctors for further exams. 👓13 of the children received glasses, 2 with amblyopia (lazy eye) which must be recognized very early to be successfully corrected. Thank you volunteers!

Packing Food at CityTeam

Our volunteers always have a delightful time filling bags with food items to help those in need at CityTeam. Food packing takes place three times a month and each time we are always striving to fill as many bags as possible in the two hour timeframe. This last visit we filled over 200 bags! Want […]

Selecting Books for the New School Year

Readers Are Leaders volunteers are busy selecting books 📚to read to 2nd and 3rd grade San Jose students during the 2024-25 school year. Two books 📘📙will be read each month, but the readers carefully read and discussed 60 options to determine the 12 books for the year. The final 12 will include fiction, science and […]

Hug-a-Bear 2023-2024 Accomplishments

In 2023-2024, the Hug-a-Bear program delivered 800 bears to five San Jose agencies: Children’s Advocacy Center, Family Supportive Housing, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, Parisi House on the Hill and the American Red Cross of Silicon Valley. Sometimes a 🧒🏽 👶🏼 child is feeling 😢 sad and😔 lonely. The playfulness of the our 🧸 Hug-a-Bears […]

Did You Know?

35 years ago in 1988, AL of San Jose members began furnishing bears to adults and children in crisis. This was our 3rd program and it was named Operation Hug. It is now called Hug-a-Bear. In 2023-2024 we distributed 🧸800 bears to adults and children. Our cuddly bears continue to provide comfort. Everyone needs a […]

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