Second Harvest of Silicon Valley
A nonprofit food bank serving food-insecure residents of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties in California.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley is a nonprofit food bank headquartered in San Jose, California. It supplies groceries and related food-assistance services to residents of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, covering much of Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Peninsula. Rather than operating primarily as a consumer-facing packaged-food brand, the organization functions as a regional hunger-relief network: it obtains food and monetary donations, manages storage and distribution, and works with hundreds of community partners to reach households, children, older adults, and other people experiencing food insecurity. The organization traces its origins to 1974, when The Food Bank of Santa Clara County was established as a program of Economic and Social Opportunities Inc., a nonprofit that has since ceased operating. In 1979, the food bank became a separate incorporated nonprofit and joined the national Second Harvest system, which is now known as Feeding America. Its regional scope expanded in 1988 when the Santa Clara County food bank merged with the smaller San Mateo County Food Bank. The resulting organization was named Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties until adopting the name Second Harvest of Silicon Valley on July 30, 2019. Second Harvest distributes food through a network of more than 300 partner agencies and community sites. Its infrastructure includes multiple distribution centers, including the Curtner Center in San Jose, the Peninsula Distribution Center, also known as the Bing Center, in San Carlos, and the Cypress Center in North San Jose, which was developed as a dedicated fresh-produce facility. In 2021, the organization announced plans to consolidate food-handling operations from three San Jose facilities into a larger Alviso site while retaining the Bing Center in San Carlos. The organization is affiliated with Feeding America and the California Association of Food Banks. Its service model combines direct distribution with partner-led programs, allowing food to reach communities through food pantries, meal programs, schools, and other local institutions. Volunteers are an important part of its operating model; the referenced account states that approximately 40 percent of people assisting with Second Harvest programs are volunteers. Demand increased sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization reported serving approximately 500,000 people per month on average during that period, compared with about 250,000 before the pandemic. Its clients include many households with working parents who nevertheless face food insecurity because of the San Francisco Bay Area's high housing and living costs. The organization has also used online channels for monetary and grocery donations, beginning in 1998. In 2019, it reported revenue of $136 million, making it the largest food bank in the San Francisco Bay Area and one of the largest in the United States at that time. Leslie Bacho is identified as its chief executive officer.
History
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley began in 1974 as The Food Bank of Santa Clara County. It was initially created as a program of Economic and Social Opportunities Inc., a nonprofit organization that is no longer operating. The early food bank served the Santa Clara County community and developed within the broader American network of food banks and emergency food providers. In 1979, The Food Bank Inc. of Santa Clara County incorporated as an independent nonprofit. That same year it joined the Second Harvest system, the national food-bank network now known as Feeding America. Membership connected the local organization with a broader system for food sourcing, logistics, and charitable coordination. The organization later faced a change in its funding environment when federal government subsidies to Second Harvest ended in 1984. Following the loss of those subsidies, the Santa Clara County food bank and the smaller San Mateo County Food Bank became more dependent on private donations and community support. Catholic Charities of San Mateo County administered the San Mateo County Food Bank during this period. The two county-level food-bank operations merged in October 1988. The combined organization became Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, creating a regional institution serving communities on both sides of the southern San Francisco Bay and across the Peninsula. The merger provided a unified structure for procurement, warehousing, fundraising, and distribution across the two counties. The organization expanded both its physical infrastructure and its donation channels over the following decades. Its 65,000-square-foot Curtner Center in San Jose opened in 1992. The 22,000-square-foot Peninsula Distribution Center, known as the Bing Center, opened in San Carlos in 1996 to support service on the Peninsula. In 1998, Second Harvest began accepting monetary donations through the internet and also enabled online grocery donations through Peapod, extending its fundraising and food-sourcing model beyond traditional mail, telephone, and in-person channels. A further logistics investment came in 2012, when the Cypress Center opened in North San Jose. The facility was designed as a dedicated distribution center for fresh produce, an important category in a food-bank system seeking to provide more than shelf-stable emergency items. Food was distributed through a network of more than 300 partner agencies, allowing local organizations to provide groceries and other forms of assistance in neighborhoods and communities throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. On July 30, 2019, the organization adopted the name Second Harvest of Silicon Valley. The rebranding retained the connection to the Second Harvest food-bank system while using a shorter geographic identity associated with the region. At that time, the organization was described as the largest food bank in the San Francisco Bay Area and the twelfth largest in the United States. Reference material reports $136 million in revenue for 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic produced a substantial increase in demand. Second Harvest reported serving about 500,000 people per month on average during the pandemic, compared with approximately 250,000 before the pandemic. The organization attributed food insecurity in the region partly to the Bay Area's high cost of living and housing shortage. Many assisted households included working parents, demonstrating that employment did not necessarily protect families from difficulty affording food. The organization also relied heavily on volunteers, with the referenced account stating that around 40 percent of people assisting with its programs were volunteers. In 2021, Second Harvest announced a plan to consolidate food-handling operations from its three San Jose facilities into a single 10.4-acre site in Alviso. The proposed facility was described as having 250,000 square feet of floor space, while the Bing Center in San Carlos would remain in operation. The plan represented an effort to modernize and coordinate the organization's logistics as it managed sustained demand and a large partner-distribution network. Second Harvest remains affiliated with Feeding America and the California Association of Food Banks, and Leslie Bacho is identified as its chief executive officer.
- 2021
Alviso consolidation plan announced
[1]Second Harvest announces plans for a 250,000-square-foot food-handling facility on a 10.4-acre Alviso site, while retaining the Bing Center in San Carlos.
- 2020
Pandemic-era service reaches approximately 500,000 people monthly
[1]Average monthly reach rises to about 500,000 people during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with approximately 250,000 before the pandemic.
- 2019
Organization adopts the Second Harvest of Silicon Valley name
[1]The organization changes its name on July 30 to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley.
- 2012
Cypress Center opens
[1]A dedicated fresh-produce distribution facility opens in North San Jose.
- 1998
Online donation channels begin
[1]The organization begins accepting online monetary donations and online grocery donations through Peapod.
- 1996
Peninsula Distribution Center opens
[1]The 22,000-square-foot Peninsula Distribution Center, also called the Bing Center, opens in San Carlos.
- 1992
Curtner Center opens
[1]Second Harvest opens its 65,000-square-foot Curtner Center in San Jose.
- 1988
Santa Clara and San Mateo food banks merge
[1]The two county food banks combine in October to form Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.
- 1984
Federal Second Harvest subsidies end
[1]The end of federal government subsidies increases the importance of private donations for the Santa Clara and San Mateo County food-bank operations.
- 1979
Independent incorporation and national affiliation
[1]The Santa Clara County food bank incorporates as a separate nonprofit and joins the Second Harvest system, now known as Feeding America.
Products and positioning
A regional nonprofit hunger-relief organization and food-bank network serving food-insecure communities through donated food, financial support, volunteers, distribution facilities, and more than 300 partner agencies.
Food assistance · 1974
Emergency grocery distribution
Second Harvest provides groceries to food-insecure residents through its own distribution operations and a network of more than 300 partner agencies. The service can include shelf-stable foods, refrigerated items, and other donated groceries, with local partners helping distribute supplies in communities across Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
Food assistance · 2012
Fresh produce distribution
Fresh produce is a significant part of the organization's food-sourcing and distribution activity. The Cypress Center in North San Jose opened in 2012 as a dedicated facility for fresh produce, supporting the movement of perishable food through the regional food-bank network.
Community services
Partner-agency hunger-relief programs
Rather than relying only on direct distribution, Second Harvest supplies food through more than 300 community partner agencies. These partners extend the organization's reach to local food pantries, community programs, and other service settings throughout the two-county area.
Fundraising · 1998
Online donations
Second Harvest has accepted online monetary donations since 1998 and has also used online grocery-donation mechanisms. These channels allow individuals and organizations to support regional food distribution without relying solely on in-person contributions.
Brand decisions
2021
Consolidate San Jose food-handling operations in AlvisoStrategyBackground
The organization operated three San Jose facilities while managing increased demand and a large partner-distribution network.
Action taken
Second Harvest announced plans to combine food-handling operations at a 10.4-acre Alviso site with approximately 250,000 square feet of floor space. The Bing Center in San Carlos was planned to remain open.
Aftermath
The proposal was intended to centralize and expand logistics capacity; the referenced material does not establish the project's final completion status.
2019
Adopt the Second Harvest of Silicon Valley identityStrategyBackground
The former name identified both counties served by the organization but was comparatively long.
Action taken
On July 30, 2019, the organization changed its name to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley.
Aftermath
The new identity retained the Second Harvest affiliation while emphasizing the broader Silicon Valley region.
1988
Merge the Santa Clara and San Mateo County food banksM&ABackground
Separate food-bank operations served neighboring counties, with the San Mateo County operation administered by Catholic Charities during the period after federal subsidies ended.
Action taken
The organizations merged in October 1988 to create a combined two-county food bank.
Aftermath
The merger established the regional structure that later operated as Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties and was subsequently renamed Second Harvest of Silicon Valley.
Recent events
- 2021
Second Harvest announces an Alviso food-handling consolidation plan[1]
Other
The organization announced plans to consolidate food-handling operations from three San Jose facilities into a proposed 250,000-square-foot site on 10.4 acres in Alviso, while keeping the Bing Center in San Carlos.
- 2020
Food-bank demand rises during the COVID-19 pandemic[1]
Other
Second Harvest reported serving approximately 500,000 people per month on average during the pandemic, roughly twice the pre-pandemic monthly figure cited in the reference material.
- 2019
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley adopts its current name[1]
Other
The organization changed its name from Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, reflecting the region it serves.
Sources3 sources
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