October 1, 2006

Mother Teresa of San Jose

Louise Benson honored with plaque at Hummingbird Park

By Jeanne Carbone Lewis
Staff Writer

Family, friends and city officials recently honored Louise Benson with a plaque at Hummingbird Park, three blocks from her home where she started the genesis of Sacred Heart Community Service and Martha’s Kitchen.

Family, friends and city officials gathered at Hummingbird Park in Willow Glen to dedicate a plaque in honor of Louise Benson, the Mother Teresa of San Jose. Photo by Jeanne Carbone Lewis

No one knows who named Benson the Mother Teresa of San Jose, but they know why. Her mission, to feed and clothe the poor, began in 1964 when she made her first food basket delivery in downtown. She was 61.

“When people think of San Jose they talk of the high-tech industry and how innovative and creative it is,” said San Jose Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez. “Martha’s Kitchen and Sacred Heart Community Service are very good examples of this but also [explain] Louise’s incredible work ethic. As she got older she became more committed to public service, change and committed to doing things that were respectful for those in need in our community.”

Louise Benson died in 1986, but her legacy of service to others lives on through Sacred Heart Community Service and Martha’s Kitchen.

Chavez, District 6 Councilmember Ken Yeager, Martha’s Kitchen Executive Director Edita Cruz, Sacred Heart Community Service [SHCS] Executive Director Poncho Guevara, North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association [NWGNA] President Harvey Darnell and Mickey Benson celebrated the legacy created by Louise Benson by unveiling the plaque in her honor.

Cruz contacted Yeager and the NWGNA regarding Benson’s tireless work for the poor. The result was the dedication at Hummingbird Park three blocks from her home on Leona Court.

“It’s a very special day,” said Mickey Benson, the only child of the honoree. “I enjoy being around people who knew her. I remember when the Mercury News wanted a photograph of her because she had been nominated for Woman of the Year. She said she was way too busy, and didn’t have time to stop everything so they finally took her picture while she was on the phone with her apron on.”

Humble beginnings
Louise Benson was born in Louisville, Ky. in 1905. She left school after the sixth grade and worked as a maid for the Strings, a wealthy Jewish family in town. She also worked as a milliner, in a whisky factory and at Belnaps Hardware where her father, sister and brother worked.

“She was a simple woman and just wanted to feed the hungry, clothe the needy and help where she could,” said daughter Mickey Benson. Photo by Jeanne Carbone Lewis

Benson was her Swiss-born grandmother Nagle’s favorite grandchild and the two enjoyed many hours in prayer. Later, she would tell her daughter how much her grandma had influenced her life.

When her sister opened a boarding house, Benson moved to Detroit, Mich. and took a job as a diamond inspector at Traub’s Orange Blossom Wedding Rings. She met and married Robert Benson in Holland, Mich. and the young couple soon moved to California. He opened a flooring business and Louise worked there as well.

After Benson retired she volunteered at the Gardner Neighborhood Center, but became distressed at the lack of benefits the poor were receiving. She vowed to bring them more help.

In the 1960s and 1970s she started gathering clothes in her basement and giving them to people in need at various locations downtown. The home-based ministry became a concern for neighbors and the resourceful Benson moved to the abandoned school at Sacred Heart Parish on Edwards Street. The founding of Sacred Heart Community Service is attributed to this faith-filled woman in 1964.

“She was a wonderful lady,” said Sebastian and Alexandra Carrasco who helped Benson in the early years. “We met at the Gardner area and became friends. She got funds from President Johnson for the neighborhood and school breakfasts for the kids who were hungry. I remember delivering boxes of food at Christmas and sorting out toys for the kids. We’d have clothes all over her yard and basement. She motivated me to finish high school and go to college. She was a selfless soul.”

Benson served peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the hungry from her garage. The philanthropy effort grew and, in 1981, with the help of five friends she started Martha’s Kitchen, a soup and sandwich mission at its present facility on the grounds of Sacred Heart Church in San Jose. The kitchen was named after the Biblical figure, Martha, who offered hot meals to Jesus and his followers on their journeys through Bethany.

“As Louise got older she became more committed to public service, change and committed to doing things that were respectful for those in need in our community,” said San Jose Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez. Left: Martha’s Kitchen Executive Director Evita Cruz, SHCS Executive Director Poncho Geuvara, Chavez and District 6 Councilmember Ken Yeager. Photo by Jeanne Carbone Lewis

“I think her legacy is to be a role model,” said daughter Benson. “In 1984, she was interviewed and she said, ‘I try to do God’s will each day. There will always be poor people in this world, people who need food and housing. I will continue to do his will each day, [and] live one day at a time until he takes me home.’”

Today
Over 1,500 customers a day walk through SHCS doors daily for assistance. Louise’s Pantry, Clothes Closet, JobLink, housing assistance, children’s and adult education, legal assistance and embracing families are only some of the programs under Sacred Heart’s roof and free of charge to the needy. It also provides referrals to other human service agencies in the community.

Martha’s Kitchen is marking its 25th anniversary this year serving over a million meals with the help of volunteers from surrounding communities, schools and churches of all denominations along with individual donors in the spirit of Louise Benson’s concept of feeding the hungry in our community. This year they will serve over 100,000 meals to needy men, women and children in the San Jose area.

For more information on Sacred Heart Community Service call (408) 278-2160 or visit www.shcstheheart.org.

For more information on Martha’s Kitchen call (408) 293-6111 or visit www.marthas-kitchen.org.