Second Harvest of Silicon Valley is one of our preferred charities. Lets face it, there were people…read morealready hurting before COVID hit and now that's all the more exacerbated. When it comes to food security or a lack thereof, you need a charity that literally helps put food on peoples table. They provide food for those that would otherwise have to do without. They also take fruits and vegetables (You must call ahead and set it up) along with the more typical donations. In addition you can also volunteer to help sort and setup. They have a website to help direct you. However, it is very popular and sometimes days are already filled up. As with all charities they need our help. How can you help? 1) Food donations. Every bit helps 2) Volunteer to help out 3) Cash is king. Consider a cash donation so they can pay for operations and buy essential items that they don't get donated. I mean how many cans of pumpkin filling can you make someone eat right?

I have incurable cancer. I have been through chemo and have lingering serious side effects so…read moregetting to a food pantry is hard not to mention. I don't have a car. I found Second Harvest Food Bank delivers food to the door. So I applied and they have been delivering to my door when they don't send lazy delivery drivers that leave my food outside my apartment building for everyone to get, or in the lobby or in the mail room to leave my food to rot. Even if I could go to the lobby or mail room, I can't lift my box and bring it up five floors. Not to mention, I don't get notification that the food box has even been delivered so I don't know if it's been delivered to the lobby, mail room, or left outside. I have called several times explaining I am not getting my food boxes, even though they send out another food box 5 days later, I shouldn't have to wait five extra days for food. Not to mention 7 out of 10 times I get my box it's loaded with rotten fruit and vegetables full of mold. To which by the way I am highly allergic to food mold. I have called. I have spoke to supervisors. I have spoken to several different people at Second Harvest Food Bank. They apologize. Which I appreciate, but that doesn't help me with my food. They said if you don't want to receive moldy fruit and vegetables come and pick up the box yourself. Nice I would if I could. I'm sure others with my health issues and my age would attest to the fact that we would do a lot of things if we were physically capable of doing it. So apologies fall on deaf ears because I still don't receive my food boxes when I should and like I said half the time the food is rotten full of mold. Shaking my head because I see the commercials and I see people donating to which I appreciate. I see people in their cars in line getting all this beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables not to mention holiday boxes to which I don't receive a holiday box I don't get anything to celebrate Easter, Thanksgiving no turkey, no Christmas box just beans and rice is what people who get their food delivered get along with moldy fruit and vegetables. I guess that is Second Harvest Food Bank's way of saying happy holidays. You don't get a holiday box you don't need to celebrate a holiday.

The Staff here have power trip. They are rude and disrespectful; they make it hard to another…read moreagency to want to work with them. I have seen them treat white people better than they do color folks. The place is so inconvenient for anyone to even pick up food. If you are with any agency, they think it's okay for them to be disrespectful to you but once you remind them to be kind, they take it up their ass to make up a whole fake ass story to make it look like you're the problem. An organization that help people? their mission statement is ass just like their workers. Those nasty ass attitude and disrespect from their workers is not worth coming here to use their services. If I wanted to be yelled at and have lies being told about me, I rather hear it from my own mother.

I was so heartbroken and discriminated . I stood in the line and I waited for my turn. They turned…read moreme away because I am handicap and I was on a mobility scooter. They said I needed to walk in there which made me feel so humiliated. I could not eat because I could not walk. They had tons of people around that could've supported and helped me get the food but instead they made me feel like I was unworthy. I will never go to this place again I felt like they were heartless.

Great place to drop off food that you would like to give away. Sometimes we receive food as gifts…read morethat we can't eat, and it's great to be able to give it away.

great services love the staff also resorces at hand and the word to mouth information is a plus…read morenever second hand... laughing out loud..! keep doing your part well traveled for you

I recently lost weight so I donated a full wardrobe and also gently worn and new shoes. I recommend…read moredonating your gently used clothes, shoes and any other items here rather then a Goodwill because they can be given to the people who need them for free rather then donating to an establishment that will resell them. Some people just don't have the funds to even buy from a thrift or second hand store so giving directly to the people who need it is best.

their breakfast usually suck, but their lunches are top notch. Thank you for everything!read more

Always great when you can make time to give back. Been…read morecoming here for about two years , but it's been several months since I last volunteered, so I had to come with my daughter. Came on a Monday morning and was immediately greeted and had to check in. Great cause with each box is able to feed a family of four which is always amazing. Packed boxes for rice, placed instructions on each pack on how to cook rice for the first hour and then transitioned to making boxes of green apples. Highly recommend if you have time please volunteer because your contribution does matter.

Its quite appalling despite the vast resources and wealth this nation and this area posses people…read moreand families still go hungry. This is where a non-profit like Second Harvest comes in. Having volunteered in the past, I had some free time and decided to put that to a good cause. This particular location is a food sorting the distribution center. The 5 days (2 hour shifts) I was there we sorted apples, carrots, pears, built boxes (I liked doing that), made vegetable boxes etc. Sorting the bad batch of zucchini was tough but very satisfying to see how much we were able to salvage. They have a great staff who are helpful and friendly and super organized. You sign up for shits online, you check in via text, get your badge and after a 5 minute safety lecture you wash up and sort. it is also nice to see local companies have organized groups there as well I would give them more stars if yelp would let me

They are quiet generous and the Indian lady who is the manager is divine! Bless her heart!read more

Gave this a try as I'm still a student and have yet to get into my career. My mother came…read morefrequently to this food bank when I was a child. I remember it being a way more human experience and receiving a cart that had actual food in it. Oftentimes, we would receive close to expiry bakery items from local grocery stores, yogurts, donated little caesars pizzas,canned goods,boxed dry goods,and even things like milk or chicken. My mom was able to make meals out of a lot of the stuff she received back then. Now, coming as an adult, I was a bit surprised and saddened to see that things have greatly changed. At most, you are looking at getting some questionable quality vegetables and maybe a can of tomato sauce or big bag of walnuts. I know beggars can't be choosers, but I honestly don't know what to do with items like this so I've stopped going because for me personally, it is not worth it. If you really need food, like actual food that will sustain you or something that requires less 'cooking' because you are disabled or homeless (or both), I don't recommend coming here. I'd suggest seeking help from a local church or other organization.

Thank you , Samaritan House, for the lunch today. The…read morecolunteers gave out hot lunch, offered a bag of apples, bread, mini Kirkland waters, Trader Joe english muffins, Pain Pauline whole wheat, flowers, Trader Joe Greek Style salad with chicken, organic. We are all grateful for your services. Your neighbor, 7 -1, remains the landlord I guess covid 19 remains in the area. Thank you again.

Update with Samaritan House. Went for help with my late rent. Got a call to say I was rejected! No…read morehelp at all. Thanks, Samaritan House for throwing me out on the streets. What a way to treat a senior and a Strock survival. What stress, and a possibility of another Strock. So, you do not live up to your mission statement of preventing homeless by paying emergency rent.

Safe food pantry, with security cameras out front at least for those in need. I understand the…read moreprocess to receive food can take all day because it requires waiting in line for a number early in the day, then returning later in the day when the number is called and people receive food. That seems like it would be very impactful to people's lives, if they need to spend the better part of any given day to receive food. That means a 20% loss of potential time to find work for the week. And even more than that because they may miss calls or otherwise be unavailable to attend to jobs business from previous applications for the better part of a day. It also seems like a lot of time in transit to go back and forth twice from home to the pantry, unnecessarily polluting our air from exhaust from combustion engines in vehicles and power plants where electricity is generated, not to mention the cost for gas and maintenance or vehicles for people who cannot afford it. It seems like a raffle where names are randomly selected from the list of people who have registered online in the morning would be a better service to the customers but I guess the implication is that these people's time is not important because they are not working and they deserve to wait in line for hours during cold mornings, standing on cement. At least there is shelter from the awning for the first people who arrive but the others bake in sunshine. Often the later people to arrive don't even wait in line because there is no room to actually do so, so they wander around the parking lot. Compared to the competition, I hear this is a food pantry but still lacking in services required for humane delivery. I won't even start to share the rumors I've heard about how badly people are treated by some staff and some volunteers, as well as people dropping off food. Suffice it to say that there seems to be an 'Us and Them' phenomenon going on amongst providers, despite their sometimes apparent good intentions.

If you use the food pantry get there early as numbers go quickly. That said, the people that work…read morehere are friendly and helpful. They give a wide variety of food & are really organized. This a good place to go if you need food.

Fridge no longer there at 44th and Telegraph...just came back from that locale. So do not bother to…read morewaste your time going there....YIKES!

Just updating my previous review. The fridge has since been replaced with a better one, so I'd…read moreraise my rating from 1 to 4.

We are super grateful to have a place like Ronald McDonald! My daughter is recovering from a heart…read moresurgery and getting ready for a heart transplant. Being local to Stanford is necessary just in case of an emergency and this place is a blessing to us! I do have to say this place needs more cameras to avoid disguising people making a mess everyone! I hate entitled people who think they can make a mess and have someone clean it up. The staff is always super friendly. We are raising funds for a heart transplant please reach out to me directly for information on how you can help us share the fundraiser link. Just sharing it in your social media will help us enormously!

Really nice place for families that need a place while children are in the hospital. Place Is…read moreclean and has great resources