Holiday Food and Fund Drives

Take a look at just some of the many ways the community supported the Food Bank during the Holiday Season. Please browse our blog to see other ways individuals, businesses and groups have been helping the Food Bank.

During the holiday season, ABC7 and Safeway sponsor the Share Your Holiday food drive in local stores. This year it brought in over 92,000 pounds of food — a tremendous help throughout the winter months. Community members purchase non-perishable groceries and put their bags into the barrels in the front of Safeway stores. In addition, ABC7 and Safeway sponsor a one day event in which the Food Bank teamed up with the Alameda County Community Food Bank at the new Safeway Store in San Ramon. This one day we were able to raise over $128,220 and 5,747 pounds of food. We are truly grateful to all those involved in this event for their time, hard work and energy to make the event successful.

Beginning on November 1 all bay area Whole Foods Markets kept barrels in their stores to receive non-perishable food donations for the holiday months during the CBS5/Whole Foods Market Food for Bay Area Families food drive and collected 3,728 pounds of food.  On Dec. 8, Whole Foods held a 5% Day in support of Food for Bay Area Families which made a donation of $8,697. During the entire drive, CBS5 also ­generously provided on air-time to ­recognize donors.

For many years, ABC7/Safeway Thanksgiving Meals has continued to help us raise the money needed to make the holiday baskets for our neighbors. This year, we were able to make over 19,000 holiday food baskets! Our special donors — who gave $28,238 and 827 turkeys — had the honor of having their names announced on the 6:00 evening news by ABC7’s Spencer Christian.

In an effort to lend a helping hand this holiday season, CVS pharmacy stores partnered with local food banks to aid in the fight against hunger during the NBC Bay Area’s Holiday Food Drive. Volunteers at bay area stores handed out information and asked for food donations on November 21, making a huge impact to this food drive. The drive collected, 16,115 pounds of food that will be distributed during the winter months to those desperately in need.

Other Holiday Food drives include Travis Credit Union: 5,267 pounds, Food Maxx: 3,562 pounds, Save Mart: 2,360 pounds, and Lucky: 26,454 pounds. Over 800 community food drives were held during the 2009 holiday season and every single one made a difference to the Food Bank and the people we serve. Many thanks to all of those involved for the much
needed food.

Throughout the year the Food Bank is the beneficiary of so many wonderful events and food drives thanks to our generous community.