*This is a special feature from the City of San Jose, Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services 

This holiday season, community-based organizations are gearing up to prepare much needed meals for San José families amid a new stay-at-home order in Santa Clara County.

With increased demand for food assistance services, local organizations like Hunger at Home (H@H) is stepping up efforts to feed out-of-work residents and individuals in need by expanding distribution hours.

"It’s amazing when you look at the positive side of what community can do when a community comes together,” said Ewell Sterner, CEO of Hunger at Home during an ABC 7 interview last week.

"It’s people helping people. Community helping community,’ added Sterner.

When looking at nonprofit H@H’s the past few months, you can’t help but appreciate the innovative approach in sourcing food to feed those in need.

H@H’s partnership with local South Bay convention centers, hotels, and sports stadiums allows the San José nonprofit to collect excess food and goods.

Not only are these food items than distributed to residents in need through an expansive network of fellow nonprofit partners, but the very workers who once staffed those establishments are now among the major recipients at the drive-thru locations.

Cars lined up to receive food from HGH during a distribution event. Photo courtesy of  Hunger at Home.

According to data provided by H@H, 30,796 meals were distributed to residents over a three day period during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Aside from distributing ready-to-heat meals, H@H is also handing out free groceries during the month of December.

Sterner explained that the ready-to-heat prepared meals to be distributed this holiday season will be able to feed four to six people.

Volunteers pose for a quick photo during the Bridge the Gap Gala drive-thru event at Avaya Stadium in San José, Calif. Photo courtesy of Hunger at Home.

And for many out-of-work residents in the City of San José, that could mean the difference between finding a meal and going hungry.

"We’ve seen not just the number of cars grow, but something we’ve seen recently is that cars are representing their own communities,” Berner said during a press conference last week.

“They’re bringing in two, three different families and they’re representing three families [to] four families.”

By working with fellow nonprofits and other community-based organizations, HGH’s reach is helping to increase food assistance services in San José and alleviate the challenges facing local food banks.

Hunger at home is located at 1534 Berger Drive and will be distributing meals on:

• Tuesday, December 22, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Wednesday, December 23, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Thursday, December 24, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Tuesday, December 29, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Wednesday, December 30, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Thursday, December 31, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Hunger at Home is still in need of donations, partners and volunteers. Learn more by visiting https://hungerathome.org.

To find out how you can access food resources in your neighborhood, please visit bit.ly/SCCFoodMap. #SiliconValleyStrong #SJCares #KeepSJHealthy