July 8, 2004

Welcome to Martha’s new kitchen

By Carol Rosen
Editor

More than 25 years ago, Martha’s Kitchen opened—although it wasn’t called that then—when Louise Benson served peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the hungry from her garage. Benson, who was also called the “Mother Teresa of San Jose,” saw the need growing. In 1981, Benson and five friends started a soup and sandwich mission on the grounds of Sacred Heart Church in San Jose.

In mid-June, Martha’s Kitchen opened a new food preparation facility, one that will meet the needs of today’s needy, homeless and hungry populations. Like the journey from the garage to the church, the facility continues to grow and in its growth has branched out to help other organizations feed the hungry.

The old kitchen, which was quite small, was 22 years old, wasn’t up to code and didn’t provide any handicapped access. The new kitchen was carved out of Sacred Heart’s parking lot. It’s huge and will make it much easier to prepare and cook meals, said Edita Cruz, executive director of Martha’s Kitchen. The facility also has a walk-in cooler and walk-in freezer, both larger than the original kitchen.

During the construction, Martha’s Kitchen still offered meals, but most were not hot. They provided sandwiches, fruit, hard-boiled eggs and juice. With the grand opening on June 17, they now are able to provide hot meals and a variety of foods, Cruz added.

One of the biggest benefactors for the facility is Meribeth Benham, who donated $1 million to enlarge the facility and help feed more people. Another large amount of money came from a federal grant through the city of San Jose’s Community Development Block Grants. Compas Flooring was among the other contributors, donating the linoleum floor for the eating area. Linoleum is no longer made in the United States, says Cruz. The company had to buy the new flooring in Italy.

This year, Martha’s Kitchen will serve over 100,000 meals to needy men, women and children of the San Jose area. In addition to those fed at the Willow Street location, on the grounds of Sacred Heart Church, the people prepare over 5,000 meals a month to send to the Emergency Housing Consortium, Santa Maria Urban Ministry, Community Homeless Alliance, Gilroy Armory, St. Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army, Holy Nativity School and other non-profit agencies. All of these agencies receive meals Monday through Friday.

“We also serve the kids at Sacred Heart Nativity School,” she said, adding that Sacred Heart is a middle school that is eligible for the federal lunch program. The students there are Hispanic boys who get to school very early and aren’t allowed to leave until they finish their homework. These young men are fed three times a day by Martha’s Kitchen: a hot or cold breakfast, a hot or cold lunch and afternoon snacks.

The kitchen was named after Martha from the Bible. She unfailingly offered hot meals to Jesus and his band of followers on their frequent journeys through Bethany. The new kitchen and remodeled dining area are designed to make people feel good. There are more windows looking out on the street, and these are double-paned glass baring noise. Special provisions are made to meet the needs of families with children. Round tables are provided so family members can dine as a family unit.

Since Louise Benson started her soup kitchen at the church, Martha’s Kitchen has served more than one million meals with the help of volunteers from surrounding communities, schools and churches of all denominations along with individual donors. In addition, the charity has networked with other helping agencies and churches by sharing surplus vegetables, fruits, breads and other baked goods collected by volunteers.