On Thursday, March 21, we hosted the 2019 Make Hunger History Awards at our Cypress Center. The event recognized our amazing fundraiser and food drive coordinators for their hard work bringing hope to thousands of our neighbors who need help putting food on the table.

2019 Make Hunger History Awards

Congrats to all of our community champions: Together our impact is much bigger than anything we could accomplish alone!

300 community champions from very diverse groups (neighborhood associations, corporations, schools and congregations) attended the celebration.

Thanks to them and our other fundraiser and food drive coordinators:

  • Enough food for 30 million nutritious meals was provided last year.
  • 95 percent of every dollar raised went to programs that are providing food.
  • Together we are finding better ways to connect people to food — a more innovative approach to food banking.

Our CEO Leslie Bacho (left) and VP of Development and Marketing Cat Cvengros (right) are grateful for our incredible fundraiser and food drive coordinators.

At the event, guests heard from Lauren, a former San Jose State University student. After receiving food from Second Harvest at an on-campus pantry, Lauren was able to focus on her education instead of worrying about where her next meal would come from. She is now a college graduate working full-time at a job she loves. Lauren even coordinated a fundraiser and food drive at her work in order to help people struggling like she once did.

Thank you, Lauren, for sharing your story!

“The Make Hunger History Awards is a celebration of empathy, action and impact. I leave every year feeling incredibly inspired by the energy our fundraiser and food drive coordinators dedicate to helping our neighbors struggling with hunger. Hearing the motivation behind their commitment and Lauren’s story make it clear we’re all in it together!” said Second Harvest Director of Annual Fund Ali Duncan.

Thank you to everyone who attended the event! We are grateful for you and together we can solve hunger.

Head to our awards program to see who received special awards, learn more about our awards structure here and make sure to check out our photo gallery!