About Us - History - Partners

The Italian Men’s Club of San Jose was created on a foundation of philanthropy. In 1980, in response to a massive earthquake in Italy, a group of Italian Americans mobilized to raise funds to support relief efforts,       including rebuilding a school in the village of Saint Angelo de Lombardi. They hosted raffles, dances, auctions, and collected items like blankets, clothing, and non-perishable food. They even traveled to Italy to see how they could help with the relief efforts. Soon after returning from Italy the group determined they wanted to continue their charitable work, and founded the Italian Men’s Club of San Jose. 

IMC has been supporting Second Harvest of Silicon Valley since 2011, and in that time, they have donated $56,775, which has helped provide 113,550 meals to the community. Recognizing that Second Harvest cannot solve hunger alone, and the food needs of our community are varied, the Italian Men’s Club supports a number of organizations tackling food insecurity from a number of different angles. Loaves & Fishes and Martha’s Kitchen provide needed food resources to Silicon Valley’s homeless populations. Meals on Wheels for the Elderly ensures that home-bound seniors gain access to the food they need to be healthy. Second Harvest collaborates in new ways and with these partners to leverage our resources and increase access to all available sources of food assistance, including federal nutrition program to better address the nutrition needs of families with children. 

Every Monday night, the members of the Italian Men’s Club of San Jose along with volunteers of family and friends service the Bingo players by selling Bingo cards and daubers. The action starts at 6:15 pm and goes well into the evening. This happens every week, barring a major holiday. The Italian Men’s Club is a nonprofit 501c3 organization operated 100% by volunteers. They do this to support the local community. Multiple times a year, the Italian Men’s Club distributes donations to a number of local community groups, donating well over $100,000 to the community through their hard work every Monday night. 

Not only does IMC support these hunger relief efforts, but they also donate to other causes, such as, Sacred Heart Community Services, the San Jose Police Foundation, providing key resources to the San Jose Police Department with a special focus on their K9 units, and Honor Flight Network, an organization that transports World War II veterans to Washington D.C. to visit the World War II monument. In the past two years, they have added their support to the preservation efforts at the Mission of San Juan Bautista, providing $11,000 in essential support for the protection of one of California’s most important historic, cultural and spiritual landmarks.

In 2014 Holy Cross Church in San Jose, CA was completely destroyed by fire. The Italian Men’s Club inquired whether the church was to be rebuilt. Learning that the church was to be rebuilt the club donated $25,000 towards the reconstruction efforts. 

It is ironic that an earthquake in Italy brought this group together originally, and on October 17, 1989, a catastrophic earthquake of magnitude 7.1 hit our own community. We are proud that without any hesitation the IMC donate $50,000 for earthquake victim relief to help our local communities return to a normal life.

In August of 2016 Italy was hit by another major earthquake in Ascoli Piceno (central Italy). Nearly 300 died due to the earthquake. Once again the Italian Men’s Club responded by donating $25,000 for the relief efforts in the area.

The motto of the IMC continues to be “Founded for the Sole Purpose of Helping People in Need Through Local Charities”.