Help for hungry neighbors

Many hungry neighbors are at risk of having no Thanksgiving unless we help. $1 can provide food for 8 meals. Donations can be made at communityfoodbank.net

In 2008 Community Food Bank distributed 7,200 Holiday Meal Boxes throughout the Central Valley. This year Community Food Bank hopes to distribute 10,000 meal boxes full of the holiday trimmings during November and December to our neighbors in Fresno, Madera and Kings Counties.

We cannot provide these meals without your help. We need volunteers to help assembly the meal boxes. On November 14th and 21st we will need your help. This is a great project for everyone including children. To sign up to help, please contact Leslie Gacad, Volunteer Coordinator at 559-237-3663 x106.

If you would like to donate money for the Holiday Meal Box Program, please know that for $10.00 per box you will be providing a familiy of 5 with a meal box that includes all the holiday trimmings. By donating you are not only providing a family with food but you are giving a family hope and bringing joy back to the table. To dontate please contact Dayatra A. Latin, Director of Programs and Development at 559-237-3663 x108.

In light of Governor Schwarzenegger’s statewide declaration of Fresno County as a disaster area due to drought, we will be distributing 3 million pounds of food a month in emergency aid to hunger-stricken rural communities in west Fresno County. We are looking for volunteers who are interesting in helping distribute food for this Disaster Response in the following communities:

• Huron — 53 miles from Fresno

• San Joaquin — 33 miles

• Firebaugh — 42 miles

• Mendota — 35 miles

• Selma — 17 miles

These distributions will generally be scheduled on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Volunteers can choose between serving in the Morning Shift 8 a.m. to 1p.m., or the Afternoon Shift 1p.m. to 6 p.m.

Volunteers May Also Serve in Fresno at the Community Food Bank to help pre-package food for the distributions. Volunteers are needed at the Food Bank Mon-Fri 8am-1pm.

Volunteers are also needed to help package food on Saturday Oct. 3rd in 2 shifts 8am-12pm and 1pm-4pm

Volunteers may serve over 4 hours at their own discretion.

We need volunteers to assist with the following jobs:

• Distributing food to clients: restocking and food handling on an assembly line

• Ongoing cleanup: moving boxes, plastic, and trash as needed

• Hand out water to volunteers, clients, and staff

• Client Registration: (TBD) Bilingual volunteers needed
• Crowd Control
• Helping clients transport food to their cars disaster@handsoncentralcal.org

*Training for these positions will be provided on-site

Important Volunteer Information:

Due to the high heat we highly encourage all volunteers to bring their own snacks, lunches,

water and/or electrolyte drinks, and take breaks at least once every two hours. We will provide

a break area with shade, water (as available), and snacks (as available).

HandsOn Central California

(559) 237-3101

vols4disaster@handsoncentralcal.org