Partnering with Marin to Fight Hunger

It’s not always easy to spot, but hunger is out there in a lot of communities. In the Bay Area, for example, food insecurity affects not only homeless and abused populations but also the populations being displaced by growing economic disparities. When families struggle to pay rent, food may be one expense they cut back on.

As a keystone issue, hunger impacts the well being of the entire Bay Area community and beyond. As noted by the SF-Marin Food Bank, food makes it possible for kids to learn, for adults to focus better at work and for seniors to stay healthy and active, creating vibrancy in our communities. For kids facing hunger the impact can be especially detrimental. They might not perform as well in school, which ultimately affects their development into adulthood and contributions to society.

To combat this pressing issue, members of the WE San Francisco office took advantage of our company-wide 16-hour volunteer benefit and set aside some time to help feed those in need. Helen Aprikyan, Holly Lancaster, Sarah Huerta and I spent a morning at the SF-Marin Food Bank in San Francisco. Together with a group of volunteers from around the Bay Area, we packaged nearly 3,400 pounds of frozen corn that will be distributed to food pantries, families, schools and soup kitchens throughout the Bay Area.

In addition to our time, WE provided a $350 donation, which was generously matched by PG&E through its support of the SF-Marin Food Bank. A mere $1 provides three meals and with the total $700 contribution, we were able to facilitate the distribution of 2,100 meals, in addition to the packaged corn, to those in need across the Bay Area.

At the end of the day, the team was grateful to be able to help our neighbors. We are thankful for the SF-Marin Food Bank for doing what they do, for all of the volunteers who visit and dedicate their time, and for PG&E for matching our contribution.

As a new employee at WE who has never been able to take such a significant amount of volunteer time from my working hours at other employers, I am truly appreciative of this opportunity. WE’s 16-hour paid volunteer time benefit enables us to get involved in and better our communities. Just think of the impact we will make in our respective communities when we each use our volunteer hours - it will be in magnitude, for sure.

BONUS: Interested in joining the WE San Francisco team? Check out our latest job openings here and apply!

Insights provided by Niyati Desai with Helen Aprikyan, Holly Lancaster and Sarah Huerta