. >> reporter: edita cruz became executive director of martha's kitchen in 2001. her passion, to fight hunger. >> you see hunger everywhere. people do not realize that it can happen to anybody. >> reporter: so the former tech startup project manager quadrupled the size of the kitchen. as a result, meal service soared from 75,000 a year to nearly half a million. and its reach extends beyond san jose. board president ray flowers says the kitchen is cooking and delivering free meals to more than 40 nonprofits reaching into east palo alto, salinas, santa cruz and the san joaquin valley. >> she gets out and talks to people and convinces partners that they should be helping more. she has really been the driving force of martha's kitchen. >> reporter: sacred heart school's president calls edita a problem solver. >> she sees possibility in the world where we can see a lot of barriers. >> reporter: she never another guess how she and her -- forgets how she and her husband were laid off from their tech jobs in 2001. >> we were so close to homelessness. it's hard to imagine.

.>> this week's jefferson award in the bay area goes to edita cruz. >>> still to come, more activity space, the purpose behind the latest launch. >>> and space x has pulled off another successful launch, more on that coming up.>> always on with news, traffic, and whether, kcbs. takeoff" the falcon 9 rocket blasted >>> space x has pulled off another successful launch. >> the falcon nine blasted off yesterday, it is carrying 10 new communication satellites. a quick program note, starting next week, the morning show will start at 6 am.>> we will be right here both saturday and sunday, for now, enjoy the rest of your saturday, keep in mind we will have some high clouds out there, temperatures will be relatively mild, a little cooler than yesterday, but overall, nice and dry. tomorrow, easter sunday, it'll be nice and sunny, and of course it is april fools' day, i promise you, that is your real forecast.>> thanks for joining us. narrator: today on lucky dog, a german short-haired pointer mix with a fun personality might be the perfect match for a couple hoping to fill a void in their live

edita cruz and her >>> a soup kitchen is reaching out to see thousands more hungry people every yearks to a southbay woman.>> this week's jefferson award winner. >> she had just returned from a european vacation 17 years ago when both her and her husband got a pink slip. she realized how easy it was to slip down the path toward homelessness. >> every weekday more than 100 students at sacred heart nativity schools eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner next door at martha's kitchen in san jose. the meals make a difference to eighth-grader pedro santana. >> it's important when you're trying to focus during class. >> she started the program for low income students when she was the executive director of martha's kitchen in 2001. her passion, to fight hunger. >> you see hunger everywhere. people don't realize it could happen to anyone. >> the former project manager quadrupled the size of the kitchen and as a result of meal service sort from 75,000 per year to nearly half 1 million. its reach extends beyond san jose. the kitchen is cooking and delivering free meals to more than 40 nonprofits. >>

. >> nos vamos con edita, adelante. >> querida familia aquÍ estamos seguimos compartiendo con los niÑos