At midnight on April 15, all those W2s and 1099s will need to be filed. For Willow Glen residents who can't stomach another year of deductions and tax tables, free help is available.

The Willows Senior Center on Lincoln Avenue offers free income tax assistance through its volunteer program, Tax Counseling for the Elderly, which is geared for adults 60 and older.

From 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays until April 15, tax preparers will be at the center to assist residents with their taxes. AARP and the IRS sponsor this event. The IRS provides training materials, tax programs and absorbs most of the expenses, while the AARP provides advertising material and two computers.

It is run strictly by volunteers, all of whom are required to take a seven-day income-tax class each January and must pass an IRS certification test each year. The Willows Senior Center will assist about 300 adults during the tax season. It's the center's goal—and the IRS's—to help adults eventually file all returns electronically to ease the process.

Willows Senior Center instructor and e-filing coordinator Don Jones has been volunteering with the program for 15 years. He says people can expect to spend about 45 minutes with their appointed tax preparer, depending on the return's complexity. "We do this because it is fun and challenging," Jones said. "And, I get out of my wife's hair for a few hours each week."

He asks anyone coming in for tax assistance to bring all pertinent income tax information, including W2, 1099, social security cards for dependents, the 2003 tax information booklets received in the mail and 2002 tax return. He also says appointments are filling up fast, so call soon for a time slot.

Willow Glen resident Violet Frevert used to drive all the way to Gilroy to get her taxes done but now takes the short stroll to the senior center each year for tax help.

"I couldn't do it on my own, and this is a nice place to come," she said. "They really know what they are doing."

For younger residents who are looking for a place for tax relief, Cathedral of Faith on Canoas Garden Avenue is open to all ages. The church has IRS volunteers who come every Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. until April 15 to help citizens in the church's Reaching Out Center.

The event is run on a first-come, first-served basis. Cathedral of Faith director of Family Life Center Dan Ordaz said people should arrive between 5:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to get in line. The first 20 to 25 people are helped.

"We don't question anyone's income bracket," he said. "This is open to everyone, but we don't do business taxes or Schedule D."

Ordaz said that Spanish-speaking tax assistance is available and asks those who come to bring their social security card, 1099, W2 and any other important forms.

Along with Willows Senior Center and Cathedral of Faith, there are several other facilities in Willow Glen that offer free tax assistance.

For more information about the AARP Information Center, 840 Willow Street, Ste. 300, call 408.278.1855. For information about the Gardner Community Center, 520 W. Virginia Street, call 408.279.1498. For the Willows Senior Center, 2175 Lincoln Ave., residents should call the mail office at 408.448.6400. Walk-ins are not accepted. For the Cathedral of Faith, 2315 Canoas Garden Ave., call 408.978.7627.