The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County is asking the community to donate non-perishable food items to provide healthy groceries to neighbors facing food insecurity this winter. Fill the Foodbank!, set for 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, is the second Drive-thru Food Drive.
Community members may drop-off non-perishable food items at either of the two Foodbank warehouses — in Santa Maria at 490 W. Foster Road, and in Santa Barbara, 4554 Hollister Ave.
The Foodbank’s goal is to collect enough food to fill one large truck, or 40,000 pounds of healthy groceries. Most-needed items include low-sugar peanut (or other nut) butters, canned protein such as tuna or chicken, beans, rice, whole grain cereals, pasta and canned tomatoes or sauce.
In true drive-thru style, those donating food don’t have to get out of their cars; Foodbank volunteers will unload donated items so contributors can quickly be on their way.
“We were so delighted by the community’s response to our first Fill the Foodbank! last November and would like to invite them to once again drive-thru and drop off donations,” the Foodbank said. “This is a simple way to get involved in alleviating food insecurity in our county and to ensure that we have the food we need to support our community partners and clients through the first several months of the year.”
The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County provides nourishment and education through a network of more than 300 distribution programs operated by the Foodbank, its network of partner agencies, and volunteers.
In Santa Barbara County, one in four people receive food support from the Foodbank; some 190,000 unduplicated recipients, of whom 40 percent are children. Last year, the Foodbank distributed 10 million pounds of food, nearly half of which was fresh produce.
For more information, visit www.foodbanksbc.org.