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

  • All
  • Donors
  • News

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, […]

Aila Malik Invited to Speak at Parisi House

Author Aila Malik spoke to the moms 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 at Parisi House on the Hill today. She discussed her second book 📕 “Mommy Am I American?”. She was exceptional. We bought each mom an autographed copy of her book. It was truly a great day for the moms and for the volunteers! 😁

Caring Hands – Handmade with Love

Every year members of Caring Hands create thousands of hand-crocheted and knitted blankets🧶for AL of San Jose programs. New mothers🤱🤱at local hospitals, families in supportive housing and seniors👴🧓at senior residences receive layettes and lap blankets to warm their babies or themselves. Do you like to knit or crochet or would you like to learn? Are […]

Thank You, George and Jeanette Stuart Charitable Trust

Three cheers 📣 to the George and Jeanette Stuart Charitable Trust for their support of our two largest community service programs: Readers Are Leaders and Operation School Bell®.❤️ Their compassion 🥰 for helping our families in need thrive is so heartfelt by all our members❣️ It is because of their caring donation every year that […]

Thank You from Family Supportive Housing

Our chapter is 💕 privileged to support Family Supportive Housing. “Dear Assistance League of San Jose, Thank you 🙏 for your donation of 🧵quilts, 🍪cookies, and 🧸teddy bears! Because of your kindness, we can continue making a difference—you are an ❤️important part of our mission! We are so lucky to have you in our community. […]

Making Music at Family Supportive Housing

AL of San Jose volunteers brought a few musical hours🎶to Family Supportive Housing making musical instruments and singing with the children. The bells🔔🔔🔔 were a big hit and everyone will be humming “This Land is Your Land” for a while! Thank you🙏 to Family Supportive Housing for letting us share such a wonderful time with […]

Readers Are Leaders

In March, Readers Are Leaders volunteers read and discussed🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️”Sorry”📗by Trudy Ludwig and “The Forest Man: The True Story of Jadav Payeng”📘by Anne Matheson to 49 classes in 10 San Jose elementary schools. A fun enrichment project🖍️😊 for each book was left in the classroom to enrich the reading experience and to remind the students of […]

Wear it On Wednesday

We’re getting our name out! AL of San Jose volunteers sport their chapter t-shirts at meetings, programs and when they are out in the community. 📆Members are encouraged to “Wear it On Wednesday” so our neighbors will ask us about Assistance League. When you see someone wearing our t-shirt, ask about AL of San Jose. […]

Gift Bags and Storytime at Parisi House on the Hill

A group of AL of San Jose members 👩🏻‍🦳👩🏻donated items and stuffed Valentine bags 💝 for the women and children 👩‍👧‍👦 at Parisi House. Each bag contained a crocheted scarf🧣, flowered hair bows 🎀, a bib, 3 prs of socks🧦, a small stuffed toy🧸, children’s book📔, valentines candy🍫 and baked cookies🍪🍪 ! During Storytime, the […]

Bagging Food with CityTeam San Jose

What a rewarding morning bagging 🍊🍋🍏 fresh fruits and 🫑🧅 veggies that will be 🚙delivered by CityTeam to the San Jose community in need. Several times a 🗓️ month our chapter volunteers at #sanjosecityteam to bag either 🥫 canned & 🍚 packaged goods or 🥔 fresh produce. Want to ❤️ help serve your community and […]

News & Events

  • All
  • Donors
  • News

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, […]

Aila Malik Invited to Speak at Parisi House

Author Aila Malik spoke to the moms 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 at Parisi House on the Hill today. She discussed her second book 📕 “Mommy Am I American?”. She was exceptional. We bought each mom an autographed copy of her book. It was truly a great day for the moms and for the volunteers! 😁

Caring Hands – Handmade with Love

Every year members of Caring Hands create thousands of hand-crocheted and knitted blankets🧶for AL of San Jose programs. New mothers🤱🤱at local hospitals, families in supportive housing and seniors👴🧓at senior residences receive layettes and lap blankets to warm their babies or themselves. Do you like to knit or crochet or would you like to learn? Are […]

Thank You, George and Jeanette Stuart Charitable Trust

Three cheers 📣 to the George and Jeanette Stuart Charitable Trust for their support of our two largest community service programs: Readers Are Leaders and Operation School Bell®.❤️ Their compassion 🥰 for helping our families in need thrive is so heartfelt by all our members❣️ It is because of their caring donation every year that […]

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