Holiday Fund: Feeding the hungry is no small job in county, but Second Harvest takes on the task Holiday Fund: Feeding the hungry is no small job in county, but Second Harvest takes on the task (December 01, 2004)

By David Boyce

Almanac Staff Writer

The Bay Area Peninsula is know for its high level of affluence, but life is nevertheless a struggle for many.

In San Mateo County, the 2000 census listed nearly 41,000 residents living in poverty, including some 10,000 children. When they sit down to dinner, the kids may not know it, but much of what is set before them may have passed through the warehouse of the Second Harvest Food Bank in San Carlos.

The Food Bank collects and distributes food to charitable agencies in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, which then redistribute it to about 163,500 residents per month, says Food Bank spokeswoman Jenny Luciano.

Second Harvest is one of the agencies the Almanac has chosen to benefit from readers' donations to the Holiday Fund.

Why give? "You're helping families just like your own make ends meet and feed their children," says Ms. Luciano. "It's the joy of giving in a season when the American tradition is a feast around every table."

More than 3,250 volunteers annually provide the muscle needed to unload food items gathered from barrels -- typically located in grocery stores, schools, and businesses -- then sort, box, and shrink wrap items onto pallets for distribution to some 750 agencies and sites from Daly City to Gilroy, says Ms. Luciano.

Doing the sorting and boxing on the day the Almanac visited the San Carlos warehouse were volunteers from the Onizuka Air Force Station at Moffett Field in Sunnyvale. "We get 20 to 25 bodies and come up here and do this for a few hours," says Technical Sgt. Tom Toth. "It's a good time."

Every zip code in both counties is served, including residents of Atherton, Portola Valley and Woodside, Ms. Luciano says. The most impoverished areas of San Mateo County are located in North Fair Oaks and East Palo Alto, according to the Northern California Council for the Community.

Recipients of the food can be found working in fast food outlets and dry cleaners, as teachers and firefighters, as gardeners and sanitation workers, says Ms. Luciano. Because their spending priorities include shelter, utilities and health care, money for food often ends up being relegated to "the disposable family income" category, she says.

Canned tuna and meats, powdered milk, peanut butter, and low-sugar cereals are among the foods most needed, but many families appreciate items that complement an ethnic diet, says Ms. Luciano.

For example, what's a homemade burrito without rice, beans, lettuce, tortillas, cheese and canned beef or chicken? Having these ingredients allows homemakers "to be able to put the meal that they want on their own table for their families," Ms. Luciano says.

Second Harvest Food Bank accepts packaged food; excess fruits and vegetables from backyard gardens; and gifts by cash, check, credit card, securities and sponsorships. Call 1-(866) 234-3663 or go to 2ndharvest.net on the Web.

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