Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services News

#SILICONVALLEYSTRONGHEROES Make A Difference In Our Community

Team San Jose is a Resource for Vulnerable Residents

Post Date:07/22/2021 2:40 PM

*This is a special feature from the City of San José, Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services
“Community has always been integral to the core values of our organization. This pandemic showed us how crucial Team San Jose’s business and work contributes to the well-being of the City,” says John LaFortune, President and CEO of Team San Jose (TSJ).

This week’s #SiliconValleyStrongHeroes are the leaders and team members in this program who help mobilize our communities.

TSJ aims to drive economic impact to San Jose through travel and tourism. But with the pandemic, TSJ was forced to halt all meetings, conventions, and live performances in their buildings.

“We experienced firsthand the uncertainties of what the pandemic brought to families because it happened to our Team San Jose family,” noted LaFortune. His team was forced to lay off 1,400 team members, the largest Silicon Valley layoff at the time and the most significant in company history.

TSJ were forced to pivot the talents of the remaining staff to work with the City to provide relief for not only the hospitality industry but all Santa Clara County residents. They were awarded a contract to prepare and deliver three meals a day to, at its peak, 22,000 weekly meals to 10 temporary housing sites across the County.

In addition, they also collaborated with the City of San José to turn South Hall and Parkside Hall meeting spaces into temporary housing shelters.

With the pandemic also affecting their own team, they partnered with Hunger at Home to prepare and distribute meals to staff members affected by the pandemic.

These activations not only provide relief to the community TSJ serves and are a part of, but also creates a need for jobs in the operations and food and beverage departments of our organization.

By growing these programs and relationships, TSJ is able to welcome previously furloughed staff to accomplish these deliverables and provide a positive impact to those most affected.

Three men packaging each food box for food distribution
Oscar (left), Ramon (center), and Alex (right) prepping individual meals.

Woman organizing brown paper bags for food distribution
Blanca making sure individual meals are packaged properly.

Woman packaging apples to brown paper bags for food distribution
Blanca ensuring that each bagged lunch has an apple and bagel.

Although no one could have predicted how the pandemic would have shifted lives professionally and personally, we applaud the individuals at Team San Jose for their resilience and eagerness to pivot to where the organization’s talents are needed.

Proudly, LaFortune said, “There is no question on if we would step up and help our fellow San Joseans and our community– it was a matter of how. That’s the right thing to do.”

Thank you to all the #SiliconValleyStrongHeroes at Team San Jose, as well as all the workers, volunteers, and the City of San Jose who make these efforts possible.

For more information on how you can access and find food resources in your neighborhood, visit bit.ly/SCCFoodMap.

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