NBC Bay Area Teams Up With Safeway to Stock Bay Area Food Bank Shelves on Nov. 20

On Saturday, Nov. 20th, NBC Bay Area in partnership with Safeway is hosting a one-day food drive to benefit hungry people throughout the Bay Area. Over 500,000 Bay Area residents require the assistance of their local Bay Area Food Bank every month, and the need is greater than ever.

In light of the bleakest job market since the Great Depression, Bay Area Food Banks are seeing their client bases rapidly expand, absorbing unemployed and underemployed residents to the already staggering number of low-income people who are already struggling to put food on the table.

NBC Bay Area and Bay Area Food Banks have mobilized this one-day food drive at Safeway locations using media to bring the need for food donations to viewers’ attention in their hometown. “We are hoping to raise awareness of the growing need for food assistance in our communities through on-air promotion. With 165 Safeway locations throughout the Bay Area, people are able to donate in their own neighborhood to help their neighbors in need. It is an easy way to receive donations and have a successful drive,” said Lance Lew, NBC Bay Area Community Marketing Director.

Safeway is offering two ways for customers to donate to help feed the hungry during the holiday season: Purchase one or more turkeys, or buy a $10 or $15 bag of groceries. All purchases will be delivered to the local food bank that next week in time for Thanksgiving.

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About Bay Area Food Banks:
Bay Area Food Banks is a collaboration of eight local food banks serving northern California counties. Collectively they distributed 135 million pounds of food to adults, seniors and children in need through over 1,500 food pantries, children’s programs, shelters, soup kitchens, residential programs and other emergency food providers. The 2010 holiday season now upon us will be the highest food demand in many years.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

• Alameda County Community Food Bank
  Brian Higgins (510) 636-4902  bhiggins@accfb.org
• Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano
  Lisa Sherrill (925) 408-7655 lsherrill@foodbankccs.org
• Redwood Empire Food Bank (Sonoma County)
  Lee Bickley (707) 523-7900, ext 15 lbickley@refb.org
• San Francisco Food Bank
  Stacy Newman (415) 282-1900, ext 270 snewman@sffb.org
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties
  Poppy Pembroke (408) 266-8866, ext 279 ppembroke@shfb.org