Redwood Empire Food Bank holiday food drive
underway
Sharing, helping people and being nice were among the reasons
given by Park Side first-graders when asked why they liked
participating in a holiday food drive.
West County’s Salmon Creek, SunRidge Charter, Oak Grove
Elementary and Analy High schools are also taking part in the
Redwood Empire Food Bank’s holiday food drive, as is North County’s
Windsor Middle School, among a total of 35 schools countywide. More
schools will jump on board after Thanksgiving, according to REFB
Food Drive Coordinator Billy Bartz, who expects to have close to 50
Sonoma County schools involved before the drive ends on Jan.
31.
“Last year, 48 schools participated and they collected almost
50,000 pounds of food,” Bartz said. “That makes a huge difference.
That allows Redwood Empire Food Bank to distribute the food
necessary for more than 39,000 individual meals. … Schools make a
huge difference in our ability to continue to feed 78,000 children,
families and seniors each month,” he said, noting schools don’t
have to participate for the entire three-month duration of the
drive. For example, some schools run a week-long food drive; some
run a two-month drive; others go the full three months.
“I am always so impressed when schools participate; it’s such an
opportunity to teach young people the importance of giving back to
your community. It’s kind of like a service learning project,”
Bartz said.
Combined, local schools collect about 50,000 pounds of food
during the holiday drive, which is almost a quarter of all donated
food from November to January; hence the importance of school
participation.
Not only is it important, it simply feels good to give,
according to some of those who do.
“We do it for people who don’t have any food, or people who are
poor,” said Park Side first-grader Kaitlyn Fisher-Pinto.
Asked how it makes her feel to participate in the food drive,
the first-grader said: “Happy.”
“Happy because we are sharing and being nice,” her classmate
Yadira Rodriguez said when asked the same question. “Because we
gotta all be friends,” Rodriguez added.
“I like to share because I want to be nice,” said Jafet
Gonzalez, also a first-grader at Park Side.
Anthony Barrios said it makes him feel good “’cause we are
helping people.”
Their teacher, Mia Igoe said prior to the food drive the
children and their fifth-grade reading buddies made posters in
English and Spanish to advertise and they also did a presentation
at the school’s Monday morning assembly. In addition, word of the
food drive has also gone home with the classroom’s newsletter, as
well as the school’s newsletter, Igoe said.
“We’ve invited the entire school community to participate,” Igoe
said. “We are an International Baccalaureate school and one of the
themes we are studying is that community members have obligations
to each other. This is what we are doing to be helpful, productive
and community-minded,” she said.
The Redwood Empire Food Bank is the largest hunger relief
organization in Sonoma County and partners with 149 other smaller
hunger relief organizations, such as food kitchens, food pantries,
and after school programs.
Individuals, schools and businesses wishing to participate in
the current food drive can call Bartz at 523-7902, extension 27, or
e-mail to wb****@re**.org.
The food bank drops off and picks up the barrels used for the
food donations.
