SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire - October 13, 2010) - At a time when record numbers of Bay Area families are struggling to make ends meet, Sunnyvale-based NetApp (
A beacon of philanthropic leadership, NetApp also covered a new driver's salary, fuel, maintenance, and insurance for a year and filled the truck with its first load of fresh food, valued at $50,000. This gesture brought the total value of the company's cash donation to $322,800 -- the single largest cash gift in the company's history, underscoring the unprecedented need for food in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
While the 350-horsepower, clean diesel Kenworth T3 Series tractor is strong enough to carry huge loads, the 32-foot refrigerated Wabash trailer utilizes an electric standby plug-in to keep perishable food, such as fresh meats, fruits, vegetables, milk, and eggs, refrigerated without using fuel to power the fans. A truckload of food is roughly 20,000 to 30,000 pounds and is sent out five days a week so one truck can distribute over 5 million pounds per year -- enough food for 4 million meals.
Second Harvest CEO Kathy Jackson remarked, "I think what people respond to with Second Harvest, particularly corporate partners, is the fact that we're really, really efficient. 95 cents of every dollar goes to programs that feed hungry people. That's an incredible level of efficiency."
This trust has fueled NetApp's unique relationship with the Food Bank. Since 1997, NetApp and its generous employees have raised over $1.8 million for Second Harvest. This equates to over 3.6 million meals provided to our neighbors in need.
Having just finished up year three of NetApp's five-year leadership commitment of the Share Your Lunch summer food drive, NetApp President and CEO Tom Georgens remarked, "We value the relationship with Second Harvest because it helps us make our surrounding communities better places to live. It's an important program that has measurable impact on the community, and it's very efficient. We're proud to be part of it."
In addition to its "Volunteer Time Off" program, which allows employees to take five full paid days off per year during business hours to volunteer at nonprofits or schools, NetApp also is the presenting sponsor of Second Harvest's Share Your Lunch summer food drive, which feeds children during the summer months when school meals aren't available.
In 2010, the Share Your Lunch drive raised over $1 million for the Food Bank in what has become the most successful summer food drive in the U.S., thanks to NetApp's leadership.
Second Harvest Food Bank is proud of the support they receive from such an innovative and committed company as NetApp. The financial donations, volunteers, and gifts-in-kind perfectly complement our shared vision to end hunger in our communities.
ABOUT SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK
Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties has been providing services to the community since 1974. They are the single largest nonprofit provider of food to low-income households in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties and are the second largest food bank in the country based on pounds distributed per person in poverty. Distribution warehouses are located in San Jose and San Carlos, CA. The Food Bank currently serves over 231,000 individuals each month, the majority of which are seniors and families with children. www.SHFB.org
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Contact Information:
Contact Information:
Poppy Pembroke
Second Harvest Food Bank
408-266-8866 ext. 279
ppembroke@shfb.org