Each workday morning at 6am, Jose Rodriguez and his team of two are at our Central Kitchen preparing meals for both the bagged lunch distribution and the pop-up childcare site operating at Old Gallinas Children’s Center. This team has gracefully handled all of the changes and challenges coming at them from all directions during the pandemic, including food supply shifts, unpredictable food needs, and constantly changing sanitation and health standards.
We couldn’t be more proud of our staff! We want to especially appreciate Jose’s dedication to meeting community needs. When the milk supplier was short on delivery drivers, Jose drove to Fremont to pick up the milk himself. When the food bank had 1,000 lbs. of watermelons available, Jose came to pick them up so they could be distributed to families. He even surprised the staff at Old Gallinas with specially prepared lunch and homemade tiramisu on a Thursday afternoon just because!