Sacred Heart Reads: The Essential D*kes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT - La Mesa Verde

La Mesa Verde recognizes that industrial food production and sale is designed for profit, at the expense of our environment, our community and our health. Here at La Mesa Verde our gardeners challenge injustice in the food system by

This month, we hear from long term member and San Jose resident, Debra, about the importance of preventing and solving homelessness.

For AAPI month, we sat down and spoke to two of our staff members about what AAPI Heritage Month means to them. First, we hear from Rea, from our Community Engagement team, about the struggle of connecting with your identity and heritage. Then, we hear from Eric, from our Welcome Center, about assimilating to American culture.

We are where social service meets social justice and we believe that learning together makes us stronger. Every month we share what a member has read, watched or listened to.

On Wednesday, May 11th, Sacred Heart Community Service will be holding an online Mayoral Candidate Forum in order to hear directly from the candidates themselves. This is a watershed year in San Jose, as Mayor Sam Liccardo’s tenure ends in December. The new mayor will be central to setting policy direction around housing, policing and community safety, and equity in all city programs and services.

On Friday, April 29th, Sacred Heart Community Service will be holding a District Attorney Forum to hear from DA candidates on multiple issues. For the first time since 2010, there is a contested race for the Santa Clara County District Attorney. This comes at a critical time as we discuss complex questions about policing, incarceration, alternative models of community safety and what we want from the criminal justice system.

Campaign Update! See how much Sacred Heart Community Service has already raised for their expansion and how you can get involved as an engaged supporter!

Hear from longtime volunteer and donor, Kathie Sheehy, about the importance of our campaign and expansion, Building Community Together.

Hear from Veronica, a SHCS member, about her experience with Sacred Heart’s Economic Empowerment program and how she took advantage of resources, in order to take care of her and her family.

See the tremendous efforts we made possible in the past two years during Covid-19: we have fed nearly 40,000 neighbors, protected them from the trauma and upheaval of eviction through assistance and activism, relieved some stress by connecting them with benefits, and advocated for an equitable recovery at the city and county level.

“My name is Annalena. I read Dr. Wangari Maathai. This book is about Dr. Wangari Maathai who plants a forest in Kenya and she encountered going to gail many times and helped make a park in Kenya stay there. I recommend these books because they are about very helpful women hoo changed the world."

From Mom: This December my seven year old received Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls as a gift. Little did I know it would be a gift for everyone in our family.

As Women’s History Month continues, we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight two women who are organizing with Sacred Heart’s committees. These are women who have dedicated their time and energy to making the world a better place for themselves, their children, and their communities. We sat down with Yazmin Espinoza and Anastasia Abarca Morales to talk about their journeys, who inspires them, and what they hope for the future.

We hear from former SHCS Executive Director, Barbara F. Zahner, as she looks back on Sacred Heart’s history and to fundraise for our current campaign and expansion, Building Community Together.

Longtime SHCS member and leader, Maggie’s story exemplifies why SHCS programs are important and how a personal commitment to building community can ensure more stability for the next generation.