November marks a season of gratitude and giving—an opportunity to lift up our neighbors and strengthen the community we all share. At Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV), we know that when families face hardship, it affects every member of the household—including their beloved pets. That’s why our Community Engagement Program includes initiatives like supporting the Pet Pantry, which provides nutritious food to keep pets healthy and families together.
This month, we’re proud to highlight one of our dedicated corporate partners, ARM, and the inspiring leadership of Tom, a principal design engineer who also leads community outreach for the company’s San Jose office. Through ARM’s support, employees are stepping up in meaningful ways—bringing comfort, nourishment, and connection to both people and pets.
ARM’s Philosophy: Building Partnerships Inside and Out
ARM is best known for its processor designs that power everything from smartphones to laptops. But as Tom explains, collaboration is more than a business model at ARM—it’s a philosophy.
“Operationally, ARM works with partners. So to extend that to the community, ARM also likes to coexist with community partners to fit in with the community where we do business. It’s like a company philosophy,” Tom shares.
Tom’s official role at ARM centers on transistor design and foundry support, but his personal passion is community engagement. “On the side, I head up the community outreach program here in San Jose,” he says. “I want the new people and existing people that join ARM to understand the company culture—what we’ve been doing here in terms of giving back to the community in terms of time and money.”
A Local Connection to Humane Society Silicon Valley
For Tom, HSSV has always been a familiar name. Growing up in Milpitas, he first learned about the organization when his siblings volunteered at HSSV through school. Years later, when ARM launched Team ARM to connect employees with local nonprofits, HSSV naturally rose to the top.
“There were already a few people volunteering with Humane Society Silicon Valley, or who had adopted a pet, or used your services,” Tom recalls. “It didn’t take much convincing. HSSV has been part of this community for a long time.”
The Pet Pantry: Feeding Pets, Supporting Families
Tom’s personal mission is clear: feeding the community. That made HSSV’s Pet Pantry—a program that provides free, nutritious pet food to families in need—a perfect fit.
“When the Pet Pantry was introduced to ARM, I thought, wow, that aligns with my passion for feeding the community,” he explains. “It takes less food out of people’s mouths, where it belongs, and it properly provides nutrition to pets. It’s a good alignment.”
In the last fiscal year, Tom has led teams in preparing over 43,000 meals for HSSV’s Pet Pantry, and he has personally coordinated over 150 volunteer hours with HSSV.
For Tom and his colleagues, the impact of Pet Pantry volunteering is immediate and tangible. “Sometimes at work, projects take months to complete. You don’t always see the result of what you did eight months earlier,” Tom says. “But when we do a couple hours of packing at Pet Pantry, you can physically see the accomplishment—piles of packed food on the shelves. It’s a sense of do good, done good.”
Beyond the Boxes: Building Connection
The benefits go beyond feeding pets. Volunteering helps ARM employees connect with each other in ways that everyday office life doesn’t always allow.
“Post-COVID, we kind of work in silos,” Tom reflects. “But when a volunteer day is scheduled, people from all different teams make it a point to come in. It really lets you interact with coworkers you might not normally see. And then when we go for the pet social hour afterward, you just see everyone’s faces light up. It really humanizes your coworkers.”
A Culture of Giving
What makes ARM’s partnership especially strong is that the commitment to volunteerism starts at the top. Every employee is given four paid volunteer hours per month—the equivalent of six full working days each year—to give back.
“It has to be supported through the entire chain of command,” Tom says. “From our CEO to directors to managers, ARM provides both time and financial support. They don’t just say, ‘Go volunteer on your own time.’ They budget for it, too.”
This culture makes it easier for employees like Tom to advocate for new opportunities and expand partnerships. As he explains, “My deliverables are number of volunteers and number of hours. So any new opportunities with HSSV, I’d love to advertise in-house to see who else I can get to come pitch in.”
Why This Work Matters
The need for support continues to grow, especially in the Bay Area, where high costs put pressure on families in every ZIP code. For Tom, addressing food insecurity means looking at the whole picture—including pets.
“If you’re really serious about impact, you have to look at it with a very broad scope,” he says. “Feeding the community, feeding pets, taking care of all aspects of what a family is trying to do to get by in the Bay Area—you have to support organizations like HSSV because this is where the services are coming from now that otherwise would be unavailable.”
By providing pet food, HSSV ensures families don’t have to make heartbreaking choices between feeding themselves or feeding their pets. And with partners like ARM, we can reach even more households in need.
A Season of Giving—And an Invitation
As Tom puts it, volunteer opportunities like Pet Pantry aren’t just good for the community—they’re good for employees, too.
“Companies need to recognize that employees aren’t machines,” he says. “Programs like this ground you. They remind you there’s life going on outside your monitor. Whatever impact you can make in your community—it stays, even after the company moves on.”
This season of giving, we invite you to join ARM, Tom, and countless other volunteers in supporting HSSV’s Community Engagement Program. Whether it’s donating pet food, giving your time, or making a financial gift, you can help families and their pets stay together, healthy, and strong.