Our Programs | Hunger at Home

Food Rescue

Have you ever attended a large banquet at a hotel or watched your favorite team at a sports stadium? If so, you’ve probably seen piles of leftover food and may have wondered what happens to it.

This is where Hunger at Home comes in — through our business partnerships with convention centers, hotels, stadiums and entertainment venues Hunger at Home channels extra food to homeless shelters and meal centers operated by our nonprofit partners.

This translates to tons of delicious, nutritious food getting in the mouths of the thousands of hungry people in Silicon Valley. Hunger and homelessness are ever present challenges faced by many in our community. In 2019, Santa Clara County saw a 31% increase in homelessness over the last two years. This doesn’t even account for thousands of hungry children, seniors and community members who are housed but don’t have money to buy groceries and pay the rent.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a business partner with Hunger at Home, please contact us.

Got Surplus?

Every day throughout Silicon Valley, hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality providers throw away excess or gently used supplies that overflow our landfills. Through Got Surplus?, Hunger at Home distributes donated goods to homeless shelters and those transitioning out of homelessness.

Here are some of the items Hunger at Home keeps out of landfills:

Housewares, including plates, bowls, glassware and silverware
Electronics
Furniture, including chairs, carpets and couches
Linens, including sheets, pillows and towels
Hygiene and grooming products
Exercise equipment

If you are interested in learning more about donating bulk items to Hunger at Home, please contact us.

Hunger at Home Connects

Hunger at Home Connects is a hospitality and culinary arts training program for community members, ages 17 and older, and clients from many of our nonprofit partners. This program works to break the cycle of poverty and underemployment by providing professional and vocational training as well as job placement support to at-risk populations in our community.

Participants receive culinary, hospitality and life-skills training needed to secure a job in the hospitality and food service industry. When participants complete the 10-week program, Hunger at Home helps place all graduates into jobs within the hospitality industry at one of our prequalified business partners.

In the ongoing effort to keep the training relevant to the industry standards and practices, pandemic relevant training and best practices are incorporated into all training.

Crisis Response

Hunger at Home feeds the community — even in times of crisis. Hunger at Home has the capacity to change their business model from food rescue to food production. Our network of talented chefs, passionate volunteers and incredible partners knows how to pivot when our community is facing a crisis.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, Hunger at Home remained committed to ending hunger in our community. We continued to provide food to our nonprofit partners, while expanding our model to feed people severely affected by this crisis.

Learn More