Patelco Credit Union, a Bay Area-based credit union dedicated to the financial wellness of its members and communities, presented Second Harvest of Silicon Valley with $20,000 to support building a hunger-free community. Patelco’s donation provides 40,000 meals to Santa Clara and San Mateo families, supporting their health and wellness. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Patelco has donated a total of $65,000 to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, and over $500,000 to Northern California food banks.
“Second Harvest of Silicon Valley has always done incredible work, but their commitment to the community since the pandemic has been especially inspiring,” Wendy Haller, Patelco’s vice president of member experience and financial well being. “We’re passionate about giving back to the communities we serve and are proud to help ensure that everyone has access to a nutritious meal.”
Founded in 1974, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley works to ensure that anyone who needs a healthy meal can get one by distributing nutritious groceries through a network of 300+ partners at drive-thru and walk-up sites, as well as home delivery, 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, Second Harvest is now serving an average of 450,000 people every month, a 60% increase over pre-pandemic levels. Last year, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley distributed an average of 143M pounds of food, about 12M pounds every month.
Photographed left to right: Susan Millett from Patelco Credit Union, Daisy Koefod from Patelco Credit Union, Alicia Ruiz from Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, Beatriz Lizaola from Patelco Credit Union, Zohal Mir from Patelco Credit Union and Kelley Young from Patelco Credit Union.