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

"Caring for those most vulnerable in our community during these difficult and uncertain times is our priority," says Bela Ferreira, Executive Director of the Portuguese Organization for Social Services and Opportunities (POSSO). "Overcoming many challenges during the Coronavirus pandemic, our team has shown the meaning of resilience."

Our #SiliconValleyStrongHeroes are dedicated to supporting residents by improving our community's quality of life, offering opportunities for community involvement and preserving, promoting and protecting Portuguese-speaking populations and cultural traditions.

Serving over 230 lunches daily to seniors and disabled community members, POSSO also delivers 170 of these meals through volunteers and staff to seniors who wouldn't otherwise receive a hot meal. As a Second Harvest Food Bank distribution center, POSSO provides more than 100 bags of groceries for low-income individuals and families in need each week.

Managing the very high need for food distribution services in our community, the organization has faced many challenges during their COVID-19 response. From recruiting volunteers to establishing a well-organized food distribution system, they have also had to communicate the services they have available for the community.

With these challenges that faced our #SiliconValleyStrongHeroes, they overcame, adapted and prioritized their participants' needs to meet them.

Connecting with residents through weekly wellness calls to those who don't have family members to check in on them and ensure their medications and basic needs are met was one of the priorities they have met. In addition, our #SiliconValleyStrongHeroes stepped up and coordinated translation services for participants who may be visiting the doctor via video conferences for the Portuguese-speaking community.

We thank our #SiliconValleyStrongHeroes for serving our community during a time that assistance is needed most. Through the Portuguese Organization for Social Services and Opportunities resilience, vulnerable populations in our community have been able to survive.

Ferreira also attributes the success of POSSO’s Senior Nutrition Program to the Santa Clara County Senior Nutrition Program, Sourcewise and Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

POSSO is currently looking for two volunteers to help deliver meals to our community on Mondays and Fridays, mileage used during deliveries are compensated per volunteer.

If you would like to volunteer or learn more about the Portuguese Organization for Social Services and Opportunities, please visit https://portuguesecenter.org/ or call (408) 293-0877 for more information.

Nonprofits are in need of volunteers this week and the rest of the month. Consider volunteering and sharing with a friend!

Volunteers helping distribute food necessities are allowed under the current stay-at-home order. Each nonprofit organization will be able to provide information about their COVID-19 compliance policies and procedures. #SiliconValleyStrong Sign up for a volunteer opportunity (below) or submit an application to volunteer at SV Strong: https://siliconvalleystrong.org/volunteer/