Working in the technology sector, squarely in the heart of Silicon Valley, it’s sometimes easy to take for granted our collective basic human needs of healthy food, clean water and secure housing. At LeanData, we’ve elected to change that, and have committed ourselves to not only raising awareness, but to affecting positive change.
In partnership with its employee-led Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) committee, LeanData is a proud supporter of Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, a non-profit organization dedicated to building a hunger-free community by distributing nutritious food to nearly every neighborhood in Silicon Valley. Second Harvest currently serves 450,000 people every month, an 80% increase over pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels!
In 2020, deep within the throes of the pandemic, LeanData organized a virtual poker night with its team members across the country. Using the tournament buy-in and other related contributions, and working with Second Harvest, LeanData was able to donate 7,317 meals to our local northern California community.
This year, we have upped the ante, so to speak. In early November, the DEI committee kicked off this year’s 2021 fundraising event, with a goal of providing 8,000 meals. Again, the centerpiece of the effort is the virtual poker tournament, complete with the year-long bragging rights associated with it. Employees who choose to participate do so with their buy-in donation. But, it’s so much more than that, as employees are encouraged to create Second Harvest fundraising pages and solicit much-needed donations from their personal and professional networks.
With day-to-day work becoming more virtually-based over the past two years, some in the workforce have struggled with feelings of isolation and an overall loss of esprit de corps. LeanData has found community-giving efforts to be one way to bring its team together, bounding over collective efforts that benefit the communities where we live and work.
In 2021, LeanData and its employees participated in programs to increase physical and mental well being, supported 1T.org’s mission to plant one trillion trees by 2030, and continued our communities’ efforts to eradicate hunger in Silicon Valley. Our efforts have brought us closer together with one another - teammates, fellow LeanData employees and even our valued partners, customers and vendors. And, along the way, we take pride in helping our neighbors as we can.
As a collective group, LeanData is excited to build upon our growing community effort next year and beyond!
