"When we got here, it was a huge challenge. It was about to close. It was in debt for a couple $100,000," Robert Viquez said. Now, "we are out of debt, but it's hard to keep it that way."

Much of the nonprofit's large building - on the corner of Church and Fifth streets - was unusable because it had fallen into a state of disrepair, and the chapel was in the worst shape. But there were so few worshippers that the chapel wasn't necessary.

Since then, members of the growing congregation have repaired much of the facility once owned by the Presbyterian Church, applying fresh coats of paint indoors, ripping out old carpet and installing air-conditioning. The 100-seat chapel is in use again and overflows during the two Sunday worship services.

Further upgrades are under way, including three showers for the homeless that will open later this month.

"We've been trying for this for many months," Robert Viquez said. "We've been praying about this. There is no other place in the South County that has showers for the homeless."

The center is raising $800 to install a washer and dryer to clean towels that will be used.

The Salvation Army is also slated to receive a commercial grade kitchen to allow mass food preparation in the event of a disaster in the region. The branch serves Gilroy, San Martin and Morgan Hill, and its headquarters are in San Francisco.

"Robert and Melissa have done a wonderful job," said Christine Flautt, a longtime Gilroy resident who has served as president of the board for the last eight years. "The need is here. I see a lot of youth, a lot of life in the Salvation Army. Before it was like it was dead. Now it's alive. It's a beautiful thing to see."

But, the Salvation Army has a new problem - running out of space for all its new programs.

"From the time that Melissa and Robert started, these programs have been initiated, and they are going really strong," Flautt said.

When the couple arrived, the center offered hot lunches for the homeless. They continue to serve those meals to 60 homeless people Monday through Friday, but they also offer an array of other services for the poor, including clothing vouchers to the Salvation Army thrift store, rent assistance, PG&E assistance and food boxes with enough groceries to feed a family for two to three weeks.

Although St. Joseph's Family Center in north Gilroy offers a food pantry and bag lunches, the two agencies are careful not to duplicate.

"The ministry seems to dovetail right in with St. Joseph's," said Marvin Thomas, a Gilroyan and member of the board for more than 20 years. "We work together and do not compete."

The Salvation Army recently finished taking orders for its holiday food boxes for Thanksgiving and Christmas but had to limit the number of recipient families to 300 due to a computer glitch. They hope to correct the problem soon and register an additional 100 families.

The nonprofit also collects toys for young children through its Angel Tree program. Trees with ornaments bearing the children's names, clothing sizes and desired gift items will be placed at local banks and Wal-Mart, and customers can shop for the children.

"Every year for Christmas, we get very stressed out," Melissa Viquez said. "We get a lot of food but no toys. We know we have to provide close to 3,000 toys."

The Salvation Army will also put 86 struggling families up for adoption, asking corporate groups to adopt them and provide gifts and clothing for every family member, as well as a holiday meal.

Beyond the holidays, the center features programs for children, women and men. The group offers children mariachi and ballet folklorico classes and tutoring after school. Youth pastor Jose Quintinilla leads Bible studies and youth services on Sundays.

The women's league has grown from five to nearly 100 regular members who meet every Tuesday. Baby-sitting is provided while Melissa Viquez leads the women in learning about nutrition, crafts, book groups and the Bible

"We receive a lot of help and receive a lot of stuff," member Luz Contreras said in Spanish through a translator. "They even bring in medical [care] so we can get our shots for the flu."

The women leave with food from the pantry such as vegetables, cookies, milk, tortillas or eggs. No one leaves the Salvation Army empty handed.

"I like to give people the feeling that they're not alone," Robert Viquez said. "They have help."

Born and raised in Costa Rica, Robert Viquez knows what it is like to grow up poor. He was one of eight children raised by a single mother after his father died.

"I had seven older brothers," he said. "I was the recycler. I recycled everything from everybody."

Every Christmas, his mother bought each boy a new shirt, pants and shoes, and that was their new outfit for the year. They lived in Heredia, a city close to the capital city of San Jose, where Melissa Viquez lived.

Her family was more fortunate, her father being a teacher at a university in San Jose. She and the oldest of two sisters became involved with the Salvation Army while living in Costa Rica and met Robert. When the church offered to send her to the United States for more training, the couple moved to California.

Robert Viquez was ordained a minister in the Salvation Army in Santa Cruz in 1994, where his brother also is a captain in the Salvation Army. Next, he and Melissa moved to Rancho Palos Verdes, where his wife was ordained. They were assigned to Scottsdale and then Phoenix before Gilroy.

"We fell in love with this place," Melissa Viquez said. The couple lives near the Salvation Army and has three children: Eliana, 1; Fernando, 5; and Elinaih, 8. "We see the people, we see the need, we love this community."

"I told my boss I want to be here 10 years," her husband added.

The couple works well together as a team. Melissa Viquez is "as sweet as they come" and soft-spoken, while her husband is energetic and speaks quickly in English and Spanish, said Thomas. Robert Viquez handles the finances and administration, while Melissa leads many of the community care ministries, and both trade off on giving Sunday sermons.

"We see that what we are doing is not only a job," she said. "It is something that is changing somebody's life."