Outreach

Help us help others!  

Taking that first step can be difficult, especially when it comes to community service. Where do you serve? How do you get involved?

At Meriwest, we think it's important for all of us to step out of our comfort zones and help out. We see ourselves not only as a business that exists for the community's financial benefit, but as an organization that takes a hands-on approach to making the community a better place to live.

We encourage all of our employees and members to get involved in community service. Because that first step can be so challenging, we provide opportunities for groups of Meriwest employees and members to get involved with specific causes and events. All they have to do is show up. And when they do, they realize how rewarding it can be.

Let's come together and join the effort!  

At Meriwest Credit Union, the concept of working together as a team goes beyond the workplace. Meriwest employees enjoy coming together and working to make the community a better place. Whether they are raising money through walking in a walkathon or applying a fresh coat of paint to a preschool, our community benefits from Meriwest employee's willingness to volunteer and make a difference. 

• 100% of employees volunteer to donate to a charitable cause during the year to help improve the lives of others. 

• We host monthly departmental fundraisers throughout the year to donate to money and supplies to local charities  

• As a Company, we were selected by a Vendor to donate on our behalf to one of our charities as part of their 50th Anniversary.  We selected Second Harvest Food Bank as the recipient to receive $10,000.00, providing 20000 meals to local residents.  We have a team of volunteers that work several times a year sorting food at Second Harvest Food Bank.  

• We donated $5,000 to help those impacted by Camp Fires in Butte Count. 

• We sponsored grants to prospective home buyers with down payment assistance and local non-profits in purchasing supplies for their various programs. 

• Over 50% or our Team members support our Financial Education initiative by reading, teaching a class and/or being onsite to help during one of our many community events.  

Primary charities we support include: 

• Sharks Foundation - The Sharks Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the lives of underserved youth and families in the community with an emphasis in the areas of education, health and safety, and character development. The Foundation supplies emergency aid when appropriate, executes unique and relevant programming, supports the advancement of youth hockey, and provides financial support and resources to organizations that enrich the lives of those in need. Since its inception, the Sharks Foundation has given more than $15 million back to Bay Area organizations through its annual Community Assist Grant program and season-long Giving Campaign
• Santa Clara County Youth and Family Services - The mission of Santa Clara County Department of Family and Children’s Services is to keep children safe and families strong. With respect and cultural humility, we partner with our diverse community to ensure that any child or youth who is at risk or has suffered abuse or neglect is safe, cared for and grows up in a stable, loving family.  
• Second Harvest Food Bank - Sole Mission is to “Lead our community to ensure that anyone who needs a healthy meal can get one.” Meriwest volunteer team received a gold medal award for our support. Second Harvest Food Bank provides free meals, volunteer opportunities and jobs.   
• Fremont Unified High School Foundation  - Fremont Union High Schools Foundation is an independent non-profit organization promoting educational excellence across our five high schools: Cupertino, Fremont, Homestead, Lynbrook and Monta Vista.
• Bill Wilson Center - Bill Wilson Center is committed to working with the community to ensure that every youth has access to the range of services needed to grow to be healthy and self-sufficient adults. Bill Wilson Center has been providing services to runaway and homeless youth since 1973.
• Good Karma Bikes- Good Karma Bikes is a nonprofit social enterprise full-service bike shop. We reinvest our earned revenue into programs targeting at-risk and emancipated foster youth as well as those whose bicycle is their primary means of transportation.
• Peninsula Family Services - Peninsula Family Service strengthens the community by providing children, families, and older adults the support and tools to realize their full potential and lead healthy, stable lives. Visit their website to learn more about Financial Empowerment Programs.
• African American Community Services Agency - It is the mission of the African American Community Service Agency to preserve the dignity and culture of a diverse African American Community and to provide services that promote full participation of all of Santa Clara County and the general society.
• Neurodiversity Pathways at Goodwill - Neurodiversity Pathways at Goodwill of Silicon Valley seeks to expand the acceptance and inclusion of neurodivergent individuals in the modern workplace. The primary impact for the neurodivergent individuals we hope to achieve is meaningful, rewarding, and sustained employment that is commensurate with their education, interests, and skills.
• YWCA - At YWCA Silicon Valley - one of the first multiservice agencies in the Bay Area, we are committed to eliminating racism and empowering women by not only a depth of direct service to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking, but also towards bold systems change. YWCA is on a mission to empower by working to end racism and violence, to achieve solutions for survivors of violence facing homelessness and to inspire by closing the education and prosperity gap

Schools in the San Jose Area

Every year Meriwest and our Financial Education team present financial workshops at several local schools, from elementary to middle to high school classrooms. Our presentations cover a variety of topics, from Credit Myths to Establishing Credit for Students to Real World Budgeting. If you are interested in having Meriwest visit your classroom, please contact Helen Grays-Jones, Community Relations manager at (408) 365-6328 or by email.