Irv Margolis greets seniors as they enter the dining room at the St. James Senior Center.

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Friendly retiree helps to make holiday season a bit brighter
SENIOR CENTER IN S.J. TO SERVE DINNER FOR 600

about halfway to work, Irv Margolis stops talking and takes a deep breath, then another. At 80 years old and suffering from prostate cancer, swollen legs and bronchial asthma, shuffling the block and a half to the St. James Senior Center, where he volunteers daily seating seniors for lunch, is a major workout.

``This is my exercise, walking back and forth,'' Irv says in between puffs of air. He keeps his blue cardigan zipped up against the chill. A Star of David hangs around his neck, and a Giants cap is pulled low. His cane keeps him from falling, most of the time.

Irv, a retired bartender, lives alone, eats Meals on Wheels for dinner, watches TV and volunteers at St. James in downtown San Jose. That's about all he can handle these days with his health problems.

And on Christmas Day, when the senior center comes alive with hundreds of revelers, Irv will be there, too, volunteering in the office. He's Jewish, his wife of 32 years passed away, and he has no relatives nearby, so he's happy to help out.

``I don't mind. They bring me lunch,'' says Irv, greeting the seniors as they trickle in for lunch on a recent weekday morning. He squeezes hands, flirts with the women, helps out the disabled.

Irv is one of about 30 volunteers who gather every year to keep the St. James Christmas Holiday tradition going.

On Christmas Day the doors open early, and the buildings are packed all day with seniors who might otherwise be alone on Christmas Day. The seniors, 75 percent Asian and most on low, fixed incomes, come in droves to play pingpong and mah-jongg, dance and sing. But the centerpiece of the day is a fancy roast beef lunch, served with all the trimmings, to more than 600 seniors in two seatings. Each donation of $7 (27A) will pay for one lunch and a small gift at each place setting.