2022-October-25

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450,000 Bay Area Residents Depend on Second Harvest

BY KRYSTAL CHENG

WITH ANJAN NADIMPALLI, AMY HANSEN, AND KAL SANKARRAMAN

4 MINUTE READ · 5 MINUTE LISTEN

Giving back is in our blood.

Some of you have spent time giving back in community gardens, elementary schools, and hospitals.

Some of you have donated to blood blanks, cleaned up beaches, and saved endangered animals.

And some of you have volunteered at food banks.

If you live in the Bay Area, you may have visited Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, just a few miles away from Cisco headquarters. Second Harvest is committed to building a hunger-free community and distributes food to nearly every neighborhood in the area.

It’s why Cisco has partnered with them for the past 16 years and is participating in the 48-Hour Virtual Race to End Hunger. During the race, which takes place this year on November 1-3, you can donate to help the organization raise $1 million to provide 2 million meals to people in need.

“No one should go hungry.”

Tech Systems Engineering Technical Leader Anjan Nadimpalli has volunteered at Second Harvest since 2013 and organizes group events for Cisco employees.

He is proud to share that since then, his individual group called “Cisco Usual Suspects” has volunteered in more than 100 events, totaling over 2,500 hours.

As a Team Leader, Anjan supervises and trains fellow volunteers at Second Harvest. Together, they sort through bins of food and pack them into boxes that are distributed to the community.

“I’ve learned that we live in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country, yet 450,000 people depend on food assistance from Second Harvest. Even families with two full-time jobs are struggling and relying on the food bank,” he shares.

“No one should have to struggle like that, and I want to do what I can to help.”

“When people come together, they can accomplish something meaningful and good.”

For the past 12 years, Amy Hansen, Software Engineering Technical Leader, has seen Second Harvest’s impact on her community. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Amy has been volunteering three times each week as a Team Leader.

She wants people to know that coming to Second Harvest is more than just packing produce boxes.

“There are several groups packing produce boxes in an evening shift. During that time, volunteers can pack enough boxes to feed over 8,000 people,” she shares. “It makes a huge difference, and you can see the impact you made.”

Amy has met people who have experienced homelessness and learned about the impact food banks have had in supporting them. She can appreciate her life and how she’s able to make a difference. 

“Whatever you can give, give.”

Kal Sankarraman is a Finance Leader who has been volunteering at Second Harvest for over 10 years. Since the start of 2022, she has volunteered 140 hours.

During her shifts, Kal has been assigned to setting up assembly lines, making boxes, or unloading crates of produce. She volunteers at Second Harvest because she believes it’s a meaningful way to spend her time.

“When you have some free time, why not?” she says. “Especially since Cisco gives us Time2Give and matches our donations, why not give to something meaningful.”

Kal was especially driven to give back through Second Harvest because of the alarming statistics in the Bay Area. Before the pandemic, the food bank supported 250,000 people in need. But after, that number has increased by 80 percent.

“If we don’t take care of our own humanity, who else will? Sign up to volunteer or donate, and you just might see how important this work is.”

Hunger is unacceptable.

Please donate in this year’s 48-Hour Virtual Race to End Hunger from November 1-3, 2022. Our goal is to help Second Harvest reach $1 million.

Last year, Cisco raised $449,459 and ranked #1 in Total Giving for the 15th consecutive year. This year, we believe we can break this record.

Everyone deserves access to healthy food, and no one should ever wonder where their next meal will come from.

Join us in the race to build a hunger-free Bay Area.

Employee Resources

• Employee and Family Assistance Program
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• Global Wellbeing Community
• Join the #SafeToTalk Webex space
• Learning & Development
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Related Links

• Our Impact - CSR & Time2Give
• Careers at Cisco
• Second Harvest of Silicon Valley
• 48-Hour Virtual Race to End Hunger

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