Almaden Resident

News

Second Harvest hopes to turn cash into pounds of food for the holidays

By Anne Gelhaus

To fight the donor fatigue that continues to plague local charities, Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties has started its holiday food drive early and launched an online campaign to help increase the bounty.

Second Harvest's goal is to collect 1.8 million pounds of food and $4 million through this year's holiday drive, which kicked off Oct. 16.

"We're shifting the message in that cash is more important than food donations because we can buy more for less than the average consumer can," said Lynn Crocker, communications manager for Second Harvest.

The virtual food drive allows donors to see how much their money can buy. For about $32, Second Harvest can buy 70 cans of ravioli, which retails for about $118. The food bank can buy 100 jars of peanut butter for $77; the average shopper would pay $343 at a grocery store.

Whereas food donations must be nonperishable, Crocker said, Second Harvest can use cash to purchase produce, meat and dairy products.

"What we collect this time of year we're using to feed people year-round," she added. "This gives us the flexibility."

While donation barrels are still being distributed to local schools, libraries, offices and retailers, Second Harvest staff is banking on attracting donors to the new website who might not make it to a traditional drop-off spot. Since fewer barrels are being distributed, Crocker said, the food bank isn't having to absorb the cost of gas to deliver them.

The virtual food bank was also developed to address the decrease in donations over the past year, when donors' focus shifted to relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters. Second Harvest's annual letter carriers food drive in May brought in 301,849 pounds of food, down from 412,000 pounds in 2005. In the Almaden Valley, letter carriers collected 6,427 pounds of food this year, a marked drop from last year's haul of 10,565 pounds.

By starting the holiday drive in October, the food bank hopes to build donor momentum, Crocker said.

To donate to Second Harvest Food Bank, call 866.234.3663 or visit http://fooddrive.shfoodbank.com.