Local parishioners ‘warm the hearts’ of city’s needy

“Warming the hearts of our city,” was the theme of the sixth annual I Love Morgan Hill holiday dinner and giveaway Dec. 16 at the Cathedral of Faith headquarters inside the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center.
With spaghetti dinners, winter jackets, children’s toys, pictures with Santa and groceries on the go, hundreds of South County families were treated like royalty by a swarm of volunteers happy to make their holiday season that much brighter.
“We have a lot of work to do. The night is just starting,” said Cathedral of Faith pastor Gary Palacios as he addressed his helpers and then led them in a prayer prior to the multi-faceted humanitarian event. “What a privilege it is to serve this community in a such a special way. Let us warm their hearts with our love.”
Even with frigid temperatures outside, a line of families snaked around the Community Center more than two hours before the event kicked off. And I Love Morgan Hill members were ready to go, manning stations throughout the complex from serving meals in the dining hall to wrapping presents in the “Elf Department” to sorting jackets in another designated area.
“We want people to see the best of us,” said retired San Jose Police Officer Robin Tokiwa, another Cathedral of Faith member and team leader for the event. “Thank you for sacrificing your Friday night to make this possible.”
After filling out a registration form, including contact information and family size, attendees were served up a hot holiday meal—donated by San Jose-based Martha’s Kitchen—while festive holiday music set the mood in the city’s 4,030 square foot banquet room.
“We just want to be here for our city, for our young children and our adults,” Palacios said.
After dinner, families made their way to the toy room where special gifts were passed out to the children and winter jackets were available in an adjacent room. The special night also included photographs with Santa and free printouts.
Before exiting the center, grocery bags filled with staples and other goodies from the Second Harvest Food Bank were available for all guests.
“This year with the cold weather, we really emphasized giving jackets,” added Palacios, whose Morgan Hill chapter has grown to more than 250 strong since it was established eight years ago as part of a much larger 12,000-member national movement. “Let’s warm their hearts with God’s love, with a jacket or sweater, with warm food and warm smiles. Cathedral of Faith is a place where everyone is welcome.”
The organizers worked with about a $15,000 budget this season, with the largest donation coming via Morgan Hill-based Golden Eagle Mortgage Group—which is owned by Pauleen Amstutz.
“It just kinda feels good,” said Golden Eagle loan officer Colin Parker, who volunteered to help in any way at the big event. “It feels good to donate your time to a worthy cause. When you are able to give back to the community that supports you, it feels wonderful.”
All of the community outreach orchestrated by the Cathedral of Faith—from its family harvest food program, where a free dinner is served on the second Tuesday of each month, to Shirley’s Closet where warm coats are passed out, to its “Better Day for Village Avante” initiative that started shortly after a teenager died during a drive-by shooting—is run out of the Community and Cultural Center.
“Because of the community we live in with such a high cost of living, the need has increased and we are trying to meet that need,” said lead organizer Josie Scott, who headed up the jacket section this season while coordinating with her fellow team leaders. “We’re here to provide a warm meal, gifts to children, warm jackets and, if nothing else, to brighten up their Christmas.”
At the night’s end, they distributed more than 1,000 toys, 850 hot meals, 650 jackets and 750 boxes of groceries. Scott explained that if by chance they ran out of groceries, those individuals were given a voucher to the Cathedral of Faith’s San Jose chapter’s Celebration of Love from 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 22 at 2315 Canoas Garden Ave. in San Jose.
“I think it’s fantastic how a local church has rallied around the people who are struggling,” said Kurt Foreman, Executive Pastor in San Jose. “We love how our church has grown so it can be more local so if you live in Morgan Hill, then you can worship in Morgan Hill and serve the community.”