Making a Difference: PMI-SV Volunteers Partner with Second Harvest!

On May 9, 2025, the Project Management Institute – Silicon Valley Chapter (PMI-SV) teamed up with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley for an impactful volunteer event at their Cypress Center in San Jose. Our mission? To combat food insecurity and support the hundreds of thousands of people in our community who rely on Second Harvest for nutritious food.

Nine enthusiastic PMI-SV volunteers, including Sirish Bhatnagar, Eliana Caceres, Yu-Ming Chen, Nehru Chevanan, Lana McIntire, Marwan Mukhar, Carlo Nocon, Neda Sayan, and Dr. Suman Suman, dedicated two hours to food rescue operations. They sorted and quality-checked apples and oranges, packed fruits and pantry essentials, and assembled distribution boxes. This incredible effort directly contributes to Second Harvest's goal of distributing food to over 500,000 people each month!

From a project management perspective, the event was a huge success! We saw strong volunteer participation, seamless collaboration with Second Harvest staff, and successfully followed all safety protocols, resulting in a zero-incident event. Our volunteers truly delivered value by directly contributing to food distribution and amplifying Second Harvest’s reach.

As a thank you for their hard work and community contribution, each volunteer earned 2.0 Professional Development Units (PDUs) under the "Giving Back" category of PMI’s Talent Triangle®. These PDUs help our PMI credential holders maintain their certifications and highlight the importance of social responsibility in project management.

A big shout-out to our PMI-SV project leads, Vishal and Beran, for their outstanding coordination, and to Nehru Chevanan, who was the perfect liaison with Second Harvest Food Bank.

We also extend our heartfelt gratitude to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley for their ongoing partnership and for giving us the opportunity to serve alongside their dedicated team. Together, we're making a real difference—one project, one partnership, and one act of service at a time!