The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County welcomed a gathering of the local food industry at a private estate in Montecito for the fourth annual Table of Life fundraiser benefiting the families and children affected by the Thomas fire and Montecito debris flow disasters, and the Foodbank’s Disaster Relief and Preparedness program.
Foodbank’s disaster preparedness programs include expanding an aging fleet of trucks and developing a cadre of “super-volunteers” ready to activate and lead distribution of food in case of a large-scale emergency.
The Foodbank is also launching a new Disaster Box food-and-gear program providing nutritious food for one person for one week and other first aid supplies. For every box purchased, the Foodbank will donate one box to a low-income family to ensure the entire community is safe in case of a disaster.
Restaurateurs, chefs and winemakers joined other foodies for the community celebration that also proudly honored Alison Hardey of Jeannine’s Bakery and Patrick Braid of Village Cheese and Wine.
“Hardey and Braid opened their hearts and doors to offer meals to those overwhelmed by the historic disasters – an act that nourished the bodies and spirits of first responders, neighbors, and families,” said Table of Life Host Committee Chair Janet Garufis, Chairman and CEO of Montecito Bank and Trust. “They prepared a truly noteworthy ‘Table of Life.’“
During the two tragedies, the doors of Jeannine’s Bakery on Coast Village Road were opened throughout the rescue and recovery efforts offering assistance and comfort.
“When everything else is stripped away, all that’s left is kindness,” Alison noted. “People needed food, yes, but they needed a place to go to stay connected with their community.”
Similarly, Braid’s Village Cheese and Wine shop made and delivered thousands of sandwiches and other fresh fare to first responders and community members operating behind the evacuation zone lines.
“I knew if we were going to count on firefighters and first responders to carry us to safety, we needed to step up as a community to nourish and protect them in return,” Braid said. “I thought of what I could do, and made it happen.”
In the coming years, the Foodbank, in collaboration with its 300 nonprofit agency partners, will expand its disaster response capacity to provide food to one of every four people in the county each year through children’s health initiative, nutrition education, diabetes and senior Brown Bag programs.
The Table of Life event emphasized the importance of the community coming together to support the Foodbank, a primarily volunteer-based organization that provides the food and distributes it to thousands of local residents around the western United States.
The holidays are also a peak distribution time and the biggest need is for funds for food to distribute the week before Thanksgiving to reach the organizations goal to distribute 1.4 million pounds of food – equivalent to meals for 30,000 people – based on community needs last year. For more about information the Thanksgiving drive click here.
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 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; over 150,000 unduplicated people of whom 38% 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.
— Noozhawk iSociety columnist Melissa Walker can be reached at mwalker@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkSociety, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.
