“It has been three years since we all had the opportunity for fellowship on such an auspicious occasion,” said Erika Albury, an AACSA board member and co-chair of the luncheon with Lennies Gutierrez. “But the great thing is that we are all here today and we are here to celebrate the life, legacy and dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

It was a successful comeback for the event at the Holiday Inn on North First Street, which had been held virtually since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were performances by spoken-word poet Prentice Powell, a stirring rendition of the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” by Victoria Thúy Vi McDowell, and portraits painted on stage by celebrated San Jose teen artist Tyler Gordon and his mother, Nicole Kindle.

AACSA Board Chair Daric Jackson presented awards to Huy Tran of the Justice at Work Law Group, Antoinette Battiste of Educational Pathways, Kenan Moos and Kiyoshi Taylor of Justice Vanguard and Rabbi Laurie Hanh Harper. And that was all before the big event, a powerful keynote by political strategist and commentator Symone Sanders.

As the first major event of the new year in San Jose, the luncheon was packed with elected officials — most toting commendations and resolutions — including new San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Susan Ellenberg,  State Sen. Dave Cortese and Assemblyman Ash Kalra. But you know who else showed up? Big name corporations and teams.

Amazon came on board as the luncheon’s presenting sponsor, joining fellow sponsors HP, Alaska Airlines, the Golden State Warriors, Destination:Home, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and First 5 Santa Clara County.  AACSA Executive Director Milan Balinton called out the San Francisco 49ers for a $100,000 grant to its Leadership Academy and highlighted more support for the program from Google, Alaska Airlines and Comcast.

Remembering the AACSA of a dozen years ago when it had just 1½ staff members and “really no budget,” Balinton said, “To say these numbers today is a vision that Dr. King had, that I had to catch on to, to create a flame to get other people to come together that now shows up in this room with all of you.”

COMMUNITY TRIBUTE: San Jose’s Oak Grove School District became something of a passion for Yvonne Cook, who died Dec. 19 at age 74. She was part of the home and school club of her children’s elementary school in South San Jose, but later served on the district’s advisory committee and was elected to its board, where she served from 1989 to 2012 — including four stints as board president.

WEATHERING CHANGE: The Cupertino Library Foundation had planned a pretty topical event scheduled for Jan. 18 with reps from Valley Water talking about the region’s drought emergency and the local water supply outlook, given that the period from January to November of 2022 had been the second driest year in the past 128 for Santa Clara County.

Well, things have changed a bit in the past two months, so the topic of the 7 p.m. discussion at the Cupertino Library on Torre Avenue has rolled with the tides. “In light of recent flooding in the Bay Area, discussion on flood management has been added to the agenda,” an email sent Tuesday morning read.

Pizza Flora, Ludwig’s, Mas Pizza and Nox Cookie Bar all have closed their doors or announced their closing in the past couple of weeks. Even Flames Eatery and Bar — a go-to breakfast spot for many downtowners who enjoyed bottomless mimosas — appears to have closed its doors on the corner of Fourth and San Fernando after more than 13 years in business. When you add other spots that never reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic started — or those like Cinebar that were lost in the Lawrence Hotel building fire two years ago — it does look a little bleak, to be honest.

(And I know BART is important to San Jose, but it would really help if VTA wasn’t displacing existing businesses like Mexico Bakery, Erik’s DeliCafe and Umbrella Salon. Couldn’t the agency have used the long-vacant Dr. Eu building on the corner of Second and Santa Clara, instead?)

But if you’ve been around downtown for the past couple of decades, you’ve probably lost lots of favorites over the years. I know I have. Fans of the arcade bar Miniboss may not remember when the corner of Second and Santa Clara was occupied by Toons nightclub. And if you go see shows at the Ritz, you might run into a Gen Xer who’ll tell you about F/X (or any of the clubs that hosted shows there in between). Like hanging out at San Pedro Square Market? Some have fond memories of when the Laundry Works was there and others of Hamburger Mary’s.

There are already some new bright spots downtown. Sunday morning, a line of cars was illegally parked on South First Street as their drivers dashed into EggHead Sando Cafe, a new breakfast hit. Scratch Cookery is dishing out hot chicken sandwiches in Fountain Alley, and the new Little Wine House in Little Italy is generating some raves despite only being open a few weeks. Newcomers Mama Kin in SoFA and Dr. Funk in San Pedro Square are drawing good crowds, too.

Alex Stettinski, who took over as CEO of the San Jose Downtown Association in November, has spent the past 25 years working in downtowns in Los Angeles and Reno, and he’s still optimistic about San Jose’s future despite the challenges.

“I know downtowns all over the country. That’s been my passion and my bread and butter for many years,” he said. “COVID has played a number on our downtowns that I haven’t seen, and you hate to see any small business close. But I’m also an optimist, and I have a world view that the pendulum always swings and the status quo is never as dire as it looks like.”

People are still interested in coming downtown, he said, and did so a lot during the holiday season. But the slow pace of workers returning to downtown offices may signal a transition for how downtown does business. Places cater to residents and people working from home — restaurants with a strong takeout or delivery presence, for example — may be better suited to thrive right now.

“I think the workforce will come back, and there will be more residents,” said Stettinski, who also lives downtown. “That will change the entire fabric of downtown. These are all things to look forward to in the future.”

PARK PLACES: Any plans you may have had for a New Year’s hike through Alum Rock Park are going to have to wait a bit longer. San Jose’s majestic park has been closed since the storms that battered the area at the end of 2022, and the trails have suffered some damage.

Daniel Lazo, the spokesperson for the city’s Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department, says the park is closed indefinitely for public safety, but the area is being monitored and maintenance and repairs are taking place as necessary. “Once Alum Rock is deemed safe to be used, it will be reopened for public use,” Lazo said.

One more casualty of the storms was the Hollywood-style letters spelling out “Alum Rock” at the Penintencia Creek Road entrance. No telling when that selfie-spot attraction will make a comeback.

By the way, many trails in Santa Clara County’s parks system are also closed because of the weather. You can check www.parkhere.org or call 408-355-2200 (press 3) for updated information.

TIME FOR A CHANGE: They say elections have consequences, and the 2022 elections in San Jose led, in part, to the closing of Foley Mortgage in Willow Glen after 65 years. Mike Foley — whose father, Gene Foley, opened his loan office on Lincoln Avenue in 1957 — announced that the company, now on Hamilton Avenue, would shut down at the end of January. Pam Foley, his wife and business partner, was re-elected to the San Jose City Council in June and started her second four-year term this month, leaving very little time for a mortgage business, he said in an email to customers.

NEW YEAR, NEW TITLES: With the change of the calendar came some changes at Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley. Susan Frazer has taken over as CEO, succeeding Mindy Berkowitz, who retired after about 20 years in the job. Frazer’s no stranger to the organization, having served as its chief operating officer for the past couple of years.

She’ll be joined by Jason Stein — who was the top guy at the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council of the Boy Scouts of America for 18 years — in the role of chief development officer, and Lisa Tran is the new VP of finance and operations.

This weekend marks the return of FurCon — officially known as Further Confusion — the convention for fans of anthropomorphic animals. Known as “furries,” these fans often create and wear their costumes to the gathering at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, as well as the Hilton and Marriott hotels. The event kicked off Thursday night and runs through Monday. (There are workshops on writing and costume-making, dances, a poker tournament and a fursuit parade; check it out at www.furtherconfusion.org.)

Most years, it wouldn’t be unusual to see crowds of attendees — from people wearing ears and a tail to others in full fursuits — walking through downtown on their way to grab a bite or a drink. And while it’s still possible that you could find yourself at the bar at Paper Plane next to a woman dressed as a giant blue rabbit, heavy rain and fursuits don’t mix well. We can only hope they packed umbrellas.

But if you do see some furries in the wild, as it were, remember that they’re a diverse group like any fan subculture. Some prefer to stay out of pictures, but many that I’ve talked to in previous years welcome questions about their costumes, especially if they’re homemade.

SPOOKY TRADITION RETURNS: On the other hand, a dark and stormy Friday the 13th night is perfect for the return of flashlight tours at the Winchester Mystery House.

To set the mood, the San Jose tourist attraction will ring its iconic tower bell 13 times at 1 p.m. (the 13th hour of the day), and ticketed tour guests will start roaming the 161-room mansion on their own starting after sunset. Of course, there’ll be guides stationed throughout the landmark to make sure guests don’t get too lost. And if you happen to miss the fun this week, flashlight tours are being offered every Friday night through the end of Februrary.

Tickets are available now at winchestermysteryhouse.com.

ANOTHER TRIP FOR 2023: My call for outings in 2023 yielded a few good suggestions on top of those I offered, including taking a trip to the Japanese American Museum in San Jose. The museum at 535 N. Fifth St. in the historic Japantown offers rotating exhibits on the history and culture of Japanese Americans and includes a recreation of a barracks like those where Japanese Americans were interned during the war. After being closed for a while because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum is open Thursdays through Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. You can get more details at www.jamsj.org.

But what a great marketing idea for the VTA to put music on some of its routes. How about getting a nice jazz trio to play on the light-rail as it cruises its way from downtown San Jose to Cisco or put some mariachis on the 22? Classic rock on the way to Campbell, maybe?

Shiloh Ballard, executive director of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, has been a fan for a while and appreciates the way he spreads creativity and joy while on two wheels. Last week, she organized a bike ride with a group of friends — including fellow nonprofit leaders Cayce Hill of Veggielution and Alex Shoor of Catalyze SV — for a leisurely Friday morning ride. The special guest was Opera Bikeman, who also goes by Vinny (every hero needs a secret identity).

After meeting at Crema coffee on The Alameda, they rode around the St. Leo’s and Shasta-Hanchett area with Opera Bikeman — who has flown a Ukrainian flag since last year’s Russian invasion — providing the soundtrack with opera music from the speaker in a milk crate attached to the back of his Aventon electric bike.

“It makes so many people so happy,” said Ballard, who would like to make the Opera Bikeman ride a regular gathering. “People can’t help but smile when they see us ride by.”

COMMUTING BY KAYAK: You might remember a few years back, I took a kayak ride on the Guadalupe River with Carl Salas, principal at Salas O’Brien engineering firm and a resident of San Jose’s Naglee Park neighborhood. He has continued to ride the mighty Guadalupe regularly — without me — but had been itching to try taking a kayak on Los Gatos Creek from Willow Glen to downtown.

On Jan. 2, a little fearful of the higher water level on the Guadalupe, he thought, “If ever there is a time for a longer distance kayak run on Los Gatos Creek, today is the day.”

He set off from the pedestrian bridge off the Three Creeks Trail near Lincoln Avenue and found himself soon kayaking in what he described as a beautiful, forested river run. He floated by Palermo’s creekside patio — no doubt surprising some lunchtime diners — and was surprised himself as he watched a hawk dive at a duck in the creek looking for a little lunch as well.

“The few miles along the river were exciting and enchanting,” he said, adding that you do need rose-colored glasses to ignore trash and the unfortunate sight of encampments along the creek bed.

PRICELESS TRIBUTE: In October, many of us lost a friend when Steve Yvaska, the Mercury News’ longtime antiques columnist, died in San Jose at age 68 from a rare degenerative disorder. He was a delight to anyone who crossed his path and always seemed happy to answer questions about what people would find in Granny’s attic — whether it was in his column, “The Seasoned Collector,” or at the various antique events around the Bay Area he frequented.

A memorial service will be held for him at 4 p.m. Jan. 12 at St. Christopher’s Church, 2278 Booksin Ave. in Willow Glen. It’s the perfect venue, as he was a volunteer adviser to the St. Christopher Antique Show and Sale for many years. The church’s Ladies Guild, which has put on those fundraising shows for 50 years, will host a reception following the service.

But with the new year, we’ve all got a chance to shake off those old habits, get out of the house and — gasp! — maybe get to hang out together again. I know, staying home is so much easier and you don’t know where to start. Fortunately, I’ve got a few ideas.

Of course, COVID-19 is still with us, so take appropriate precautions depending on your level of comfort. And don’t think of these as New Year’s resolutions — those are made to be broken — but as opportunities to get in touch with the outside world again.

TAKE IN A SHOW: Performing arts organizations are still struggling with small audiences as they try to stay open and keep actors, musicians and behind-the-scenes tech workers on the job. Attending a concert, play or other performance once a month would go a long way toward keeping them afloat.

You can stick with the bigger names — Broadway San Jose, TheatreWorks, Symphony San Jose, Opera San Jose — and do just fine, but why not explore something new at City Lights, San Jose Stage, Teatro Visíon, Tabard Theatre Company, San Jose Playhouse Palo Alto Players or the Los Altos Stage Company?

The next generation of actors are getting their start performing for CMTSJ, Playful People Productions and Starting Arts. The Hammer Theatre Center in downtown San Jose offers a mix of live and streamed performances, and when it comes to music, don’t forget the San Jose Chamber Orchestra, the Mission Chamber Orchestra and the San Jose Wind Symphony.

Most offer lower-priced previews for the budget-conscious, and if you find something you really like, think about subscribing for a season.

GO MAD FOR MUSEUMS: There’s an incredible diversity of museums and galleries to experience right here in Silicon Valley, and you could make a museum trip one weekend a month and only see a fraction of what the region has to offer.

In downtown San Jose, you can explore the San Jose Museum of Art, the Institute of Contemporary Art, MACLA, the Museum of Quilts & Textiles, Works, Chopsticks Alley, Anno Domini and Kaleid. Santa Clara has the Triton Museum and the de Saisset at Santa Clara University. The Cantor Museum of Art at Stanford is a gem, as is the Euphrat Museum at De Anza College in Cupertino.

Families can have fun at the Children’s Discovery Museum or the Tech Interactive in downtown San Jose or the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo.

Looking for something a little different? Try the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose or the New Museum in Los Gatos. History Park in San Jose and the Montalvo Arts Center and Hakone Estate and Gardens — both in Saratoga — all provide an experience not confined by a building.

LET’S DO LUNCH: Workers are slow in coming back to the office in Silicon Valley since the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been disastrous for restaurants. So whether you’re in the office or at home, how about taking one day a week to go out to lunch?

You can visit a new restaurant (or at least one that’s new to you) or introduce a friend or co-worker to one of your old favorites. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but you might want to treat yourself to a splurge once in a while.

TAKE A HIKE — OR A BIKE: Remember all those parks you explored during 2020 when those were the only places anyone could go? Well, they’re all still there. Make a plan to visit the mineral springs at Alum Rock Park, stroll by the Stanford Dish or hit the 342 miles of hiking trails at Santa Clara County’s 28 regional parks.

If you’d rather get outside on two wheels than two feet, there are more bike paths than ever before. Check out the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition’s website at www.bikesiliconvalley.org for routes and ideas.

At the very least, it’ll help you work off that weekly lunch. If you’ve got other suggestions for getting outdoors this year, let me know and I’ll share them with readers in a future column.

The owner of Garden City Construction and Buccaneer Demolition couldn’t let the building — one he had long coveted — disappear. And one day just before Thanksgiving last month, he welcomed people to see the structure he had brought back to life.

“Restoring this building has been an awesome journey of amazing karma and good will and there will be nothing like it in San Jose,” Salata said. “We hope that this is a turning point for the area some call the ‘SODA District’ — South of Downtown Area — and the gateway to downtown San Jose.”

The journey still isn’t over. Salata is continuing to work on improvements with plans to make it into a watering hole called Benjamin’s Saloon, a nod to the building’s original use from 1882 until the early part of the 20th century. That would pair nicely with Camino Brewing Co., which opened right next door on South First Street in 2018.

The building, with a distinctive Victorian cupola, has had many lives starting with the aforementioned saloon and grocery store, a business that eventually passed into the hands of the Benjamin brothers

The saloon passed through several hands before it wound up in 1903 with the Benjamin brothers, who continued to operate it until Prohibition. At that point it became a soft-drink stand — though who can say what people were really imbibing — until 1923 when Jacob Faber opened his bicycle shop there.

It remained in the Faber family until the 1970s when it was sold to Alex LaRiviere, who kept it as Faber’s Cyclery. The aging building began to lean — making it look like the Crooked House at Happy Hollow — and LaRiviere closed the shop and bicycle museum just weeks before the April 2013 fire. And that’s when Salata entered the picture.

The first couple years were spent repairing the building, with Kelly House Movers straightening it out again. Salata proudly notes that 95 percent of the material used was from the same era. He can point out pieces around the building that were salvaged from houses in the area. The door, he notes, was already in his collection. Salata called on sign-painter Tom Colla to recreate a Faber’s logo as well as Schwinn logos on an adjoining building in 2015. The faded word “bicycles” visible on the building’s side is original — the wooden siding was saved and replaced close to its original location.

The building’s most recognizable feature, the cupola, had to be recreated from photographs. There’s one last piece to add, Salata said: a horseshoe below the front door — matching one in a photograph he has of Jacob Faber in front of his shop.

The list of people Salata credits with helping bring Faber’s back to life is long, and it includes his wife, Suzanne Salata, as well as historian Charlene Duval, Brad Pawloski of Garden City Construction, architectural illustrator Barney Davidge, Rich Sanchagrin of Grand Prix Glass and architect Brad Cox.

But a crazy idea like bringing Faber’s Cyclery back to life needs someone with passion at the helm, and that was Jim Salata. I look forward to toasting his vision when he finally gets the saloon open.

BIKING ON: Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Shiloh Ballard announced her plans to ride off into the sunset, as least as far as leading the bike advocacy group is concerned. Ballard, who took the handlebars of the organization in 2015, says she’ll stay on until a replacement is found.

During her tenure, Ballard has fought vociferously for the rights of cyclists throughout the valley, stressing both bike safety and using bikes as a regular means of transportation. The results have been dramatic, with the number of bike crashes down significantly and the number of fatalities cut in half. There are now 46 miles of protected bike land and 2,000 miles of bike facilities — including shared lanes and boulevards — in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.

CALLING IT A CAREER — OR TWO: There’s no doubting that Linda LeZotte put in more than her share of time for the community, retiring Dec. 2 after six years as a San Jose planning commissioner, eight years on the San Jose City Council and 12 years as a Santa Clara Valley Water District director. Add those 26 years of public service to her 40 years as an attorney, and that’s enough work for at least two people.

LeZotte was a glaring omission from my Thanksgiving column, in which I expressed my gratitude for Santa Clara County elected officials who were terming out. My only defense is that I never expected her to retire.

CIRCLE THE DATE: The San Jose Sharks Foundation is bringing back Sampling with the Sharks, its immensely popular wine-tasting fundraiser, to a new venue, Tech CU Arena, on Feb. 21, 2023. There’ll be lots of Northern California wines to taste, along with Sharks players and coaches to mingle with. There’s also a live auction, and one of the items has a fun twist: The winner will immediately leave Sampling with the Sharks to watch the Eagles concert that night at SAP Center from a suite.

Early-bird tickets are $375 — for guests 21 years and older that includes wine and appetizers — but that price goes away at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Go to www.sharksfoundation.org to reserve a spot.

But the fact that two pedestrians were killed in the past decade at this very intersection — and that the city has suffered a record number of traffic fatalities this year — makes any traffic-calming measure worthy of applause.

That’s one of the reasons San Jose City Councilmember Raul Peralez was at that intersection last week to celebrate the installation of new traffic lights, as well as sidewalk “bulbouts,” in an effort to keep pedestrians safer. He noted that pedestrian activity in the area is only going to increase, with not only two senior living facilities but also new residents soon moving into the Japantown Corp Yard mixed-use projects. And all that’s happening in one of San Jose’s more vibrant, walkable districts.

For the past two years, Peralez has chaired the city’s Vision Zero task force, which is trying to implement ways to reduce traffic and pedestrian deaths. People are still dying despite their efforts, but Peralez has not given up.

“This is a trend we want to be able to reverse, and this is how we do it,” he said.

Victoria Takeda, president of the Japantown Neighborhood Association, said the long-awaited project would create a “safety bridge” for residents walking or driving through Japantown. She pointed out one safety feature called “leading pedestrian interval,” which gives people a “walk” signal a few seconds before the traffic light turns green and makes them more visible to drivers.

“This few seconds designated to pedestrians crossing here can and will save lives now and into the future,” she said. The feature has been implemented at most downtown intersections and will be rolling out to other parts of the city as well.

Peralez said he was “beyond elated” to get the project completed before he was termed out, but he knows his successor, Omar Torres, and others will have more safety measures to install. “We’re trying to make this area more bike- and pedestrian-friendly,” he said. “I do encourage the future councilmember and all councilmembers in the city to continue their efforts to try and enhance traffic and pedestrian safety in our city.”

INNOVATE AWAY: Some lucky kid is going to get to be “President for the Day” at the Tech Interactive, as part of a contest run by Zigazoo, a social network platform designed for children (as opposed to Twitter, which seems to be for people behaving like children). The challenge asks the young innovators to create a brand-new exhibit, and the winner — chosen by a panel in January based on creativity, innovation and showmanship — will be flown out to San Jose with a parent to have some fun at the Tech.

ON THE AIR GIVING: Bay Country (KBAY 94.5 FM) held a “Radiothon” on Dec. 8-9, and the station and its listeners raised more than $104,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Bo Matthews, Bay Country’s content director and operations manager, said the station — which switched formats to country music this year — went into the effort with conservative expectations. “We are beyond proud and delighted the way our brand new listeners stepped up in a big way for the kids at St Jude,” Matthews said.

It’s a shopping trip like thousands of other moms and dads make in Silicon Valley. But this isn’t food from Safeway or Lunardi’s. She’s in the parking lot of Santee Elementary School, picking up a weekly supply of groceries together with more than 300 other people from one of Second Harvest of Silicon Valley’s farmers market-style distribution centers.

Clients receive lean protein like chicken and ground turkey, as well as eggs, dairy, pasta, rice, beans and other dry goods. The week Bacho was there, the produce options included lettuce and squash and a bounty of Driscoll’s strawberries — donations from an unexpectedly strong harvest this summer.

“It helps, especially right now because of inflation,” said Bacho, who brought along the younger two of her three daughters, 14-year-old Kaylee, 7-year-old Keyla and 2-year-old Kendra. “This helps my family eat at least for two or three days a week, and alleviates the pressure of spending money on groceries.”

Wish Book readers can help Second Harvest support the high need for food assistance in our community. The food bank distributes food free of cost to low-income clients at more than 900 program sites throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. The $30,000 in requested donations will be used to purchase fresh fruit, vegetables, proteins and grains — enough for 60,000 meals.

Among its distribution points and partner agencies, Second Harvest is at 81 K-12 schools, several community colleges and 50 affordable housing sites. “Generally we’re trying to locate our services where people are already going and are comfortable and are known partners in the community,” said Leslie Bacho, CEO of Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, who is not related to Diana Bacho.

Just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, Second Harvest was providing groceries for 250,000 people every month. That number doubled as people lost their jobs — after all, no one needed office janitorial staff when people weren’t coming to work — or stayed home to provide childcare for kids who were suddenly locked out of classrooms.

Leslie Bacho said Santee Elementary was the last food distribution site she visited before shelter-in-place rules went into effect in 2020, and she realized their model would have to change. With amazing speed, Second Harvest shifted its distribution to pre-boxed groceries that people could drive up to receive without contact.

That provided a level of safety when infection fears were at their peak and was also more convenient as it allowed clients to get their food without leaving their cars. But it left clients little choice about what they received and sometimes families ended up with items that they wouldn’t use.

The CEO said sites have returned to the farmers market style as soon as possible. “This is our ideal method, folks being able to select what they want,” she said. “And it’s a lot more empowering for all of us who want to be able to choose what we need.”

While the number of COVID-19 infections in Santa Clara County has waned, the economic effects of the pandemic linger. In September, Second Harvest was still providing meals for 450,000 people a month — about 80 percent more than before COVID. The slow recovery for huge swaths of the community — coupled with rising inflation — have left untold numbers of families looking for any relief they can find.

That was where Diana Bacho found herself. She worked in sales and at a local supermarket to supplement her husband’s income as a contractor. But during Santa Clara County’s mandatory shelter-in-place regulations, her husband was out of work for four months, leaving them unable to pay rent for the one-bedroom San Jose apartment they’ve lived in for the past 10 years or to repair their car.

Both she and her husband are working again, but the accumulated debt and rising costs took their toll, and she reached out for help from Second Harvest, registering for food distribution at the elementary school her middle daughter attends.

“Since inflation, we’re almost back to those numbers at the height of the pandemic,” she said. “So many of those pandemic benefits have gone away and people now are facing months of lost income so they’ve been financially devastated. When we think about the future, we expect this need is going to continue now for a long time.”

THE WISH BOOK SERIESWish Book is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operated by The Mercury News. Since 1983, Wish Book has been producing series of stories during the holiday season that highlight the wishes of those in need and invite readers to help fulfill them.

WISHDonations will help Second Harvest purchase fresh fruit, vegetables, proteins and grains — enough for 60,000 meals — and distribute the food free of cost to low-income clients at more than 900 program sites throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. Goal: $30,000

HOW TO GIVEDonate at wishbook.mercurynews.com or mail in the coupon.

ONLINE EXTRARead other Wish Book stories, view photos and video at wishbook.mercurynews.com.

Sharon Miller, who coordinated the concerts since their start in 1996, stepped down from that job after last year (though she’s still working for Catholic Charities Cathedral Social Ministries) and no one was able to step into the role this year. St. Joseph’s has gone through its own challenges including the relocation of its longtime music director, Julie Wind, about a year ago.

But while the inside of the cathedral is quiet in the evenings this month, there’s a lot going on outside. For the third consecutive year, the majestic building is being used as a digital canvas for a projection-mapped art show created by Santa Clara-based Estioko Designs. The show begins around 6 p.m. each night and is accompanied by music that’s best heard on the west side of Market Street facing the cathedral.

Maybe next year we can get both the projection mapping and celebrate the return of Season of Hope.

ALL ABOUT THE ART: ArtHouse Studio — a student art program that’s been around for more than 20 years — celebrated its first anniversary as a nonprofit this month with an art showcase and fundraiser in Willow Glen.

Executive Director Julie Stover said the nonprofit status enables ArtHouse Studio (formerly known as ArtHouse Kids) to concentrate on the creative and opportunity gap in under-resourced communities. It’s partnered with companies including LinkedIn, Adobe, Salesforce, Intuit, Nike and the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley to help students explore their artistic sides.

“Art can be a powerful tool to address mental wellness, empowerment and innovation,” Stover said. “We are all about the importance of showcasing images from our programs to let students and their families feel pride in what they have accomplished and give communities a chance to see and hear students voices for better understanding of the youth that surrounds us all. Art can be a great connector.”

ArtHouse Studio brings its Creativity for Life programs to over 1,300 students each week and is building a video series for schools that need a budget-friendly, 15-minute “creative break” in the day. You can check out a gallery of the student artwork inside the Garden Theater on Lincoln Avenue in San Jose, where the Dec. 7 fundraising event was held, and find out more at www.arthousestudioca.org.

HANUKKAH AND HOCKEY: Chabad of San Jose and other local Jewish organizations are celebrating Jewish Heritage Night at SAP Center on Sunday, the first night of Hanukkah. Fans who arrive early for the game against the Calgary Flames can watch the lighting of the Grand Menorah at 6 p.m., along with remarks by Rabbi Shaya Bernstein and Rabbi Aaron Cunin of Chabad, as well as San Jose Sharks player Luke Kunin.

“The menorah serves as a symbol of our community’s dedication to preserve light and encourage perseverance,” Rabbi Cunin said. “The eight-day holiday symbolizes the need to keep growing and adding light in our lives and communities.”

CRUISING RIGHT ALONG: Remember when San Jose City Councilmember Raul Peralez took down the last “No Cruising” sign in front of City Hall back in August? At the last City Council meeting of the year — and of his eight-year tenure — Peralez joined with members of the United Lowrider Council of San Jose to present that sign, autographed by him and many of his council colleagues, to Ken Middlebrook, curator of collections at History San Jose, to join the city’s historical collection.

CHEERS TO YOU: Santa Clara County Counsel James Williams was honored recently with the Daniel Curtain Young Public Lawyer Award for outstanding public service by the International Municipal Lawyers Association. The award came just in the nick of time for Williams — who’s been the county’s top lawyer since 2016 — as he’s been tapped to succeed County Executive Jeff Smith when he retires next year. Maybe the 38-year-old Williams has a “young county executive” award in his future.

The Santa Clara County Farm Bureau, meanwhile, presented the Linda L. Lester Friend of Agriculture Award to Valley Water Director Richard Santos last Wednesday for his support for Santa Clara County agriculture. If I were a farmer, I’d want the guy who handles the water to be a friend of agriculture, too.

While the 2020 and 2021 screenings were scrapped because of COVID-19, the culprit this year is the classic Palo Alto movie theater’s HVAC system. The theater, which originally opened in 1925 and was restored to great applause in the late 1980s by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, is expected to remain closed until early 2023 while the heating and ventilation system is replaced. (You can check for updates on the theater’s reopening at www.stanfordtheatre.org.)

“It’s a Wonderful Life,” the Frank Capra-directed 1946 holiday classic, had been an annual event at the Stanford Theatre since its reopening in 1989, consistently playing to a sold-out house on Dec. 24. Some fans lamented the news on Facebook, expressing their willingness to bring blankets to the unheated theater rather than miss George Bailey’s struggle with faith for another year, while others said they would just look forward to being back next year.

“I guess we’ll all just have to make our own personal Pottervilles, and seek out bars that serve hard drinks to make men get drunk fast,” longtime movie writer Richard von Busack quipped on Facebook, quoting a line from the movie.

One possibility that may not have been explored yet is holding the screening at the California Theatre in downtown San Jose, which is just as majestic a venue. There is some precedent here, too, as there was a Christmas Eve showing at the California concurrent with the tradtional Stanford showing in 2007. Maybe the nonprofit Stanford Theatre Foundation can warm up to that idea to make everyone’s holidays a little brighter this year.

LIFTING THEIR VOICES: There’s a really special performance this Saturday at Five Wounds Portuguese National Church in San Jose, which is hosting a rare performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” by the nonprofit concert choir I Cantori de Carmel.

Daniel Henriks, the Carmel choir’s music director, was raised in Germany before studying at Julliard and embarking on a career as a baritone in European opera houses and concert halls. As you might expect, hearing performances of Bach’s “Weihnachts-Oratorium,” as it’s known in German, were part of his Christmas tradition growing up.

Tickets to the 8 p.m. concert are available at www.icantori.org.

HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS: Santana Row in San Jose again will be the site for a huge Hanukkah celebration on Sunday, the first night of the holiday. The festivities begin at 4 p.m. and include a performance by the West Grand Brass Band, a children’s choir and the lighting of the grand menorah on the stage at Park Valenicia in front of Maggiano’s Little Italy.

Last year, more than 1,500 people attended a gathering on the last night of Hanukkah, which was a collaboration among the seven Chabad centers in Santa Clara County. Get more information on this year’s gathering, as well as other Hanukkah events at www.chanukahsj.com.