Holiday Food & Fund Drive is Here!
Now through Jan. 31

The Alameda County Community Food Bank serves 49,000 people each week—from Berkeley to Fremont, Oakland to Livermore. With demand for emergency food at all-time high, your support is needed to ensure our neighbors have the food they need this holiday season!

Help the Food Bank stock its shelves with high-demand non-perishable items by starting a traditional barrel drive.
Or start a Virtual Food Drive and see the Food Bank's buying power in action -- for every $1 you donate we distribute $5 worth of food!

Thank you for embracing the holiday spirit! Your support provides food—and hope—to 1 in 6 Alameda County residents.

'We must speak to the moral and economic crisis of income inequality'
Congresswoman Barbara Lee reponds to State of the Union address after Food Bank visit

In her response to President Obama's State of the Union address, Congresswoman Barbara Lee put the needs of our most vulnerable citizens front and center. "It is critical that we address the needs of the most vulnerable: the long-term unemployed, communities of color which experience higher rates of unemployment, youth, and veterans," she wrote. "We must strengthen our safety net, extend unemployment benefits, and work to prevent families from falling into poverty - and reignite the American Dream for those who have."

The Congresswoman — who represents California’s 9th district and chairs the Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus — recently sat down with Executive Director Suzan Bateson, Board President Mike Moye and members of our Advocacy Team for a productive conversation about combatting hunger in our community. Among the topics on Jan. 12 were the success of our children’s BackPack Program and the importance of protecting vital safety net programs, which have been disproportionately targeted in recent budget cut proposals.

A lot has changed since Representative Lee’s last visit in 2008 – including a doubling of the demand for emergency food assistance.

We’d like to extend a special thanks to Congresswoman Lee and her staff for making the issues of hunger and poverty priorities – and for being forceful advocates for our cause on Capitol Hill.

“A day on, not a day off”
Giving back on Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service – January 16

Thank you to the 186 volunteers that sorted, packaged, and labeled nearly 50,000 pounds of food during our third annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on January 16. Though the holidays have drawn to a close, we're still working hard to meet demand.

Last year, calls to our Helpline jumped 10% in January. You still can honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by contributing to our special MLK Day of Service Virtual Food Drive before the end of the month! For every $1 donated, we can distribute $5 worth of food.

Frances and Exie's Story

Exie could be your neighbor. She lives with her disabled mother and 6-year-old daughter, Frances. Exie works as many hours as she can between caring for her family and taking community college classes.

When housing, utilities and transportation take all the money they earn, many families are forced to make tough choices. The only thing left to cut is food for her mother and daughter.

You can ensure they'’ll never know hunger –-- even in difficult times.

Nearly half of the Food Bank clients are working families. Your contribution ensures they never have to decide between paying bills or eating dinner.

Follow the can
at the Alameda County Community
Food Bank to see where your food drive donations end up, and how they get there.



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