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(Santa Barbara, CA) — The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County is asking the community to donate non-perishable food items and whole turkeys or chickens to provide healthy meals to neighbors facing food insecurity this winter.
Fill the Foodbank! on Saturday, November 19 is the Foodbank’s semi-annual Drive-thru Food Drive. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Foodbank’s new Sharehouse at 80 Coromar Drive in Goleta (just off Hollister between Los Carneros and Storke Roads) and, at Toyota of Santa Maria at 1643 South Bradley Road, community members may drop-off non-perishable food items.
Most needed items include low-sugar nut butters, canned protein such as tuna or chicken, beans, rice, whole grain cereals, pasta and canned tomatoes or sauce.
The Foodbank’s goal is to collect enough food to fill one large truck, or 40,000 pounds of healthy groceries. In true drive-thru fashion, those donating food need never get out of their cars. Foodbank volunteers will unload donated items and contributors will be on their way! It’s an easy way to drop off groceries during Saturday errands or recreation.
“In the quarter that spanned July to September of this year, the Foodbank saw the highest demand for food that we’ve seen since the first three months of the Covid pandemic,” explained Kelly Smith, Foodbank community engagement and learning manager.
“We served 111,000 unduplicated individuals last quarter, largely due to inflation that just won’t let up. Dropping off a bag of food is an easy and very useful way to help ward off hunger for our neighbors in need this year.”
The Foodbank’s 2022 Turkey Drive runs now through November 22 for Thanksgiving delivery, and into December for later holiday delivery. Turkeys and chickens are both welcome donations. The Foodbank aspires to collect 3,000 birds for holiday dinners for those facing hunger this holiday season.
Fresh or frozen turkeys or chickens may be dropped off Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at either Foodbank warehouse (in Santa Barbara at 4554 Hollister, next to the Page Youth Center, or in Santa Maria at 490 West Foster Road).
South County community members may also drop off turkeys at three Montecito churches on Sunday November 20 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Birds may be dropped off at All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church at 83 Eucalyptus Lane, El Montecito Presbyterian Church at 1455 East Valley Road or Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church at 1300 East Valley Road.
About the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County
The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County is transforming health by eliminating hunger and food insecurity through good nutrition and food literacy. The Foodbank provides nourishment and education through a network of more than 200 partner agencies, nutrition education programs and food distribution sites operated by the Foodbank and its volunteers. The Foodbank’s new Sharehosue in Goleta will be fully operational in summer 2023. The Foodbank is currently fundraising $6 million to provide healthy food and education to the community and to complete construction of the freezer and cooler space – which will multiply its current south county cold food storage space by ten times – its new Nutrition Promotion Center and Volunteer Center. Since the Covid pandemic began, the Foodbank’s response to the Covid-19 economic crisis has included distributing more than 30 million pounds of food, making more than 80,000 home deliveries of healthy groceries to seniors and adults with disabilities, and launching new services in high-poverty areas, such as its Healthy Farmworkers program. For many people in Santa Barbara County, recovery from the economic crisis of the last 21 months will take 18 to 24 more months. For more information, visit FoodbankSBC.org.