FOOD & SHELTER:
Having a safe place to live and meals on the table are things most of us take for granted. A lot of our neighbors don't have that luxury. A compassionate community can make a difference.

Published Wednesday, December 25, 2002, in the San Jose Mercury News

Thanks to Mercury News readers, all of the wishes in the 2002 Holiday Wish Book will be fulfilled. Here are the details:

Wish 19 • Women and children who have fled abusive relationships to find safety and solace at shelters will receive pajamas and other clothing, storybooks, school supplies, bus passes, stuffed animals, and gift certificates for food, formula and diapers. Nominating agencies: Support Network for Battered Women, Mountain View; Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence, Asian Americans for Community Involvement, and Women and Their Children Housing (WATCH), all of San Jose; and the Shelter Against Violent Environments, Fremont

Wish 20 • Donations made possible today's Christmas Day celebration and dinner at the St. James Senior Center in downtown San Jose. More than 500 were expected to attend the sit-down feast and receive a small gift. Nominating agency: St. James Senior Center, San Jose

Wish 21 • Soyini Price and her children, Jesse and Trinity, Fremont: clothing, a doll, doll clothes, games and a GameBoy with games. Donations also will provide essentials for families who seek a new start at area shelters, including socks, underwear, toiletries, pillows, linens and beds. Nominating agencies: Tri-City Homeless Coalition, Fremont; Emergency Housing Consortium and InnVision, both of San Jose; and the Bill Wilson Center, Santa Clara

Wish 22 • Donations will provide thousands of nutritious, home-delivered meals for senior citizens and other homebound individuals and also support the Operation Brown Bag program, which provides supplemental groceries to low-income seniors. Nominating agencies: Meals on Wheels programs in Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda and Santa Cruz counties; Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties