Food Donations Prepped for Hungry Families

Thanks to residents foraging for canned food in the back of the pantry, Bay Area families will help feed the hungry in the coming weeks.

The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano serves 132,000 people every month across the two counties, and this summer is off to a satisfying start thanks to an ample harvest during the food drive at Bay Area KidFest. 

The  brought in a total of 6,191 pounds of food — an increase over the 6,064 pounds donated during the 2011 festival.

Food donations during KidFest continue to increase, according to Food Drive Coordinator Joan Tomasini, due to the efforts of promoters who emphasize contributions to the food bank. Attendees are offered $1 discount on tickets if they donate a can of food.

"Many more people came up to us this year and said 'thanks for being here and allowing the community to help feed those in need'," said Tomasini in an email, adding that some people even brought extra food in case it was needed. "Even those who receive food from us came up and said thank you and 'we wanted to share with others more in need than us'."  

The food bank also received $5,000 from Tesoro Golden Eagle Refinery, who had promised to match donations up to that amount, with every can representing $1.

The first day of the festival, May 28, brought in 1,973 pounds of food. Sunday saw donations of 1,908 pounds, but Monday won out with 2,310 pounds of food collected.

Donations are currently being inspected, sorted and boxed, according to Community Relations Manager Lisa Sherrill, who said that the crop "will be going out as quickly as it came in."

Did you donate to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano during Kidfest? How? Let us know in the comments.