Willow Glen residents looking for a place to volunteer their time have a viable option at the Third Street Community Center.

This downtown San Jose nonprofit is dedicated to helping low-income families in the local community, via ESL classes and after-school programs.

Those who would like to contribute their time to Third Street Community Center can volunteer as little as two hours either once or twice a week. There is no teaching experience required to volunteer— just time, dedication and energy.

The center is also asking for donations of office supplies like pencils, paper and erasers; new toys; clothes in good condition; and books.

The nonprofit is also seeking PC desktop or laptop computers with at least a Pentium II processor, and electronic items, including scanners, inkjet printers and digital cameras.

Third Street Community Center is open Monday though Thursday, 2:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.

For more information, visit www.3street.org. The center is located at 160 North 3rd St. in downtown San Jose.

Bridge Bank opens its
San Jose regional home

Santa Clara County's newest full-service business bank opened its San Jose Regional banking office in downtown San Jose.

The new office serves as the main branch location for the institution's expanding client base in Silicon Valley.

Bridge Bank is the anchor tenant in the eight-story commercial building at 55 Almaden Blvd. The bank has extensive ties to the region's banking industry.

President of Bridge Bank's Specialty Markets Group and 30-year-veteran banker in the South Bay area Robert Gionfriddo said, "This is an opportunity for me to return to my original community banking roots, serving longtime clients in the San Jose and surrounding areas."

Bridge Bank will retain its presence in the Santa Clara business community. The bank's original headquarters site, 2120 El Camino Real in Santa Clara, will become the headquarters of its expanding Bridge Capital Finance Group. This group specializes in providing structured and asset-based financing to emerging markets and early-stage technology companies in the Silicon Valley region.

For more information about the bank, visit www.bridgebank.com.

Office Depot donates to Willow Glen nonprofit

Office Depot opened its fourth store in San Jose on March 18. To underscore the company's commitment to the San Jose community, Office Depot will make in-kind donations of $500 to three different organizations: Willow Glen's Estrella Family Services, AIM and the Asian American Recovery Services.

"We are pleased to continue our support of small businesses in the area, while at the same time reaching out to three wonderful organizations that make such a meaningful difference in the lives of children every day," said Office Depot Regional Vice President Sean Mehranbod. "Taking care of kids is not only rewarding—it is part of our charitable mission to support programs that enhance children's education, health care and welfare."