Around Town

Photograph by Stephania Bednar

Sunday Friends, an organization that provides services and household goods to low-income families, is dependent on volunteers. To sort supplies, executive director Janis Baron (second from left) meets volunteers (from left) Rebekka Portillo, Michael Hobson and Betty Fleming in her garage.

Don't call Sunday Friends a charity

By Michele Tjin

Six days a week, low-income families in San Jose deal the best they can with the challenges that life throws at them. Some do fine, while others struggle. On the seventh day, Sunday Friends is there for them.

Sunday Friends is the brainchild of Los Gatos resident Janis Baron. It's a one-stop center where families can receive meals, household goods, financial management advice and English-language classes.

Just don't call it charity. At Sunday Friends, the rule is simple: There are no freebies. If you want something, you've got to earn it.

"What we've learned is that when you give people handouts, that doesn't bring out the best in them," Baron said. "It brings out greed. We give opportunities instead of charity. There's an amazing difference. People step up, and it builds self-respect."

It all began when Baron wanted to instill in her children the idea that the rest of the world is not like Los Gatos, and she, her children and friends volunteered at a homeless shelter. Baron quickly discovered that she could motivate the children living at the shelter to take an interest in themselves and in their surroundings with stickers as incentives. Children became eager to clean up and pick up trash, all for a simple prize. This nugget became the basis of Sunday Friends, which has been 10 years in the making.

"It grew from there," Baron said, now the executive director. "I never meant to start a nonprofit."

Families who use Sunday Friends' services, located at Lowell Elementary School in San Jose two Sundays a month, are asked to participate in an activity, for which they are later rewarded. They can help cook meals for the day, write thank-you letters to donors or unload vans and set up tables for the day's programs. Children do art projects that are given to other children in hospitals and seniors in convalescent homes. Each activity is designed to teach a crucial skill, Baron said. When they cook, they learn about healthy eating. When they write letters, they practice their English.

For their efforts, participants receive tickets, which they can trade for household goods at the Treasure Chest. From clothes to school supplies for children to dish soap and toiletries for parents, the Treasure Chest is where family members get rewarded for pitching in and working alongside each other.

"This program is for whole families," Baron said. "What we have learned is that what we teach is sustained when parents are involved. They're working together, they're [earning] tickets together, and they're shopping together."

Sunday Friends is not a one-woman show. Baron depends on an army of helpers--1,500 volunteers a year. During the week, they do a lot of behind-the-scenes preparation, such as evaluating items and packing boxes.

When Baron first began the organization, she asked community service groups at Los Gatos and Saratoga high schools to join her, and the relationships continue to this day.

Tonya McQuade, an English teacher at Los Gatos, has been encouraging her students to volunteer because it offers opportunities to interact with people.

"It gives them the opportunity to know the people and break down stereotypes and prejudices," said McQuade, the school's Interact Club adviser. "Being from Los Gatos, they need that opportunity to open their eyes to know that the world is not like Los Gatos."

Sunday Friends has attracted parents and children to volunteer together. Alicia Barela of Los Gatos helps wherever her bilingual speaking skills are needed, while her 17-year-old twin daughters have benefited by boosting their self-esteem, she said.

"They thrive, and the kids follow them," Barela said. "They're kid magnets."

Daughter Jeri Barela said she volunteers so those who are less fortunate know there is a network of people who just want to lend a hand.

"I go because I was adopted, and I never had anything like that," said the Los Gatos High student. "It's a good opportunity for them to know that it's not just family and friends who are out there. There are more people who want to help them."

Sunday Friends is a siblings' affair in the Montalvo household in Saratoga. Oldest brother Bobby, 19, first volunteered four years ago, and introduced the organization to Brandon, 17, and Bryant, 15.

As set-up manager, Brandon instructs other volunteers as to what needs attention and where they should go. He also helps with crafts and drills children with math flashcards.

He is proud of the fact that he is helping families get better.

"We help them stand on their feet," said Brandon, who will be a senior at St. Francis High School. "The adult volunteers help out the adult members of the family by teaching them how to do everyday things, like keeping kids in control and trying to balance financial needs."

While the children are in the hands of energetic teens like the Barela sisters or the Montalvo boys, parents get to practice their English with Cathy Bullock. For the past three years, Bullock of Saratoga has been the one to teach common phrases that will help families get from A to B.

Baron and her volunteers show no signs of slowing down. Baron expects that in the next 10 years, Sunday Friends will grow to be a model for other organizations. A former Silicon Valley engineer, Baron has been amazed at how the participating families have blossomed with her idea that hard work can empower.

"You don't hear kids melting down, and you don't hear tantrums. They're very busy and happy. They're so busy earning and contributing," Baron said.