November 11, 2002

Second Harvest Holiday Food Drive begins on November 18

With the need for assistance growing, the Second Harvest Food Bank/UCSC Holiday Food Drive has increased its collection goal to 25 tons this year.

That is five tons over last year's goal of 20 tons of food or the equivalent in monetary donations. This year's drive will run from November 18 to December 13.

A campuswide letter from the Academic Senate and Staff Advisory Board is scheduled to be delivered to mailboxes on November 18, inviting members of the campus community to donate. "For every dollar donated, Second Harvest is able to distribute more than $10 worth of food. A $10 cash donation provides a family an average of 47 meals," the letter notes.

"Please join us in the effort to increase donations to Second Harvest Food Bank by supporting UCSC’s annual Holiday Food Drive," the letter continues. "The need for services in our community has dramatically increased by 20 percent this year. The need for donations from the community is even more important then ever."

UCSC will be credited with donating 3 pounds of food for every dollar donated. In other words, a donation of $5 puts the campus 15 pounds toward its goal.
A campus Mail Services’ truck will be stationed at the main entrance to campus on weekdays from December 2 to December 13 to allow dropoff of collection bags. Food donations may also be left at mail stops, and checks may be sent anytime through on-campus mail (red bag).

Second Harvest is a nonprofit organization providing food and basic necessities to people in need. The organization supports a network of approximately 120 human service agencies and programs that serve more than 45,000 people each month, 48 percent of them children.

Food collected during the Holiday Food Drive is used throughout the winter months. Financial contributions received during the holidays make it possible for Second Harvest Food Bank to gather and distribute $6 million worth of food during the year.

Additional information on Second Harvest is available on its web site.

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