Volunteer with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley
KBLX Nation, our Bay Area communities and families continue to be affected by the pandemic.
Food Banks in our area are working hard to meet the necessary demands, but they need your help.
Let’s continue to help our neighbors out and serve our community alongside Second Harvest Food Bank of Silicon Valley.
CLICK HERE to sign up and learn more on volunteering.
SECOND HARVEST OF SILICON VALLEY FACING CRITICAL VOLUNTEER SHORTAGES AT FOOD DISTRIBUTION SITES
Food bank urgently calls on volunteers to help address the unprecedented need for food assistance during the pandemic
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley is issuing an urgent call for volunteers to help distribute food to the half million people now receiving food assistance from the nonprofit every month. In the wake of the economic crisis caused by the pandemic, the number of people relying on Second Harvest for nutritious groceries has doubled as Silicon Valley residents—many of whom have never received food assistance before—struggle with job loss and depleted savings.
In response to the crisis, Second Harvest and its partner agencies have continued to open new public food distribution sites throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, including 130 new drive through sites to help ensure the safety of volunteers and the public alike. While these new sites have also created a need for more volunteers to staff them, the food bank and its partners have struggled to fill open slots and many distributions have been operating with only half of the needed workforce.
“With such tremendous need right now, we are calling on members of our community to volunteer help us provide this much needed relief to our neighbors in crisis,” said Leslie Bacho, CEO for Second Harvest of Silicon Valley. “Since the pandemic began, we have seen an outpouring of support from people wanting to help, but we are now distributing 80 percent more food than we did before and we simply need more help. Tell your friends, family, neighbors and your coworkers that the time to step up and help is right now.”
How to Volunteer at Second Harvest:
Individuals and groups can volunteer to hand out food at distribution sites located throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo counties or to sort and box food at Second Harvest’s Cypress warehouse, 4001 N 1st Street in San Jose. Sign up for shifts on Second Harvest’s website HERE.
Volunteers must be in good health and adhere to county mandated safety measures, including social distancing and wearing masks and gloves. The minimum age to
volunteer is 14, and all volunteers ages 14 to 17 must have a signed electronic permission slip on file at least 48 hours before volunteering. High risk populations are asked not to volunteer at this time.
About Second Harvest of Silicon Valley
Founded in 1974, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley is one of the largest food banks in the nation and a trusted nonprofit leader in ending local hunger. The organization distributes nutritious groceries through a network of more than 300 partners at drive-thru
and walk-up sites across Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Due to the prohibitively expensive cost of living in Silicon Valley and the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, hunger is at an all-time high. Second Harvest is now serving 500,000 people on average every month, which is twice as many people as they
reached pre-pandemic. Second Harvest also connects people to federal nutrition programs and other food resources, and advocates for anti-hunger policies on the local, state and national levels. To learn more about how Second Harvest is responding to the incredible amount of need in Silicon Valley, visit shfb.org.