Due to the prohibitively expensive cost of living in Silicon Valley and the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Second Harvest is now serving an average of about 500,000 people every month.

The Food Bank, Inc. of Santa Clara County was formed in 1974 by Economic and Social Opportunities, and incorporated as a nonprofit agency in 1979. In 1988, the San Mateo County Food Bank merged with The Food Bank, Inc. of Santa Clara County to become Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.

In 1992, Second Harvest moved into a new 65,000-square-foot warehouse in San Jose that is now Curtner Center. In 1996, the Food Bank’s Peninsula Distribution Center (Bing Center) began serving San Mateo County in a newly renovated 22,000-square-foot warehouse in San Carlos. In 2012, Second Harvest opened Cypress Center in North San Jose, doubling its operations and providing a dedicated produce distribution facility.

In 2019, the organization changed its name to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, and continues to serve all of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.