Alameda County Community Food Bank

Press Releases: Berkeley Author Ayelet Waldman Will Provide “Food for Thought”

Contact: Caroline Glesmann
(510) 287-2344

Berkeley Author Ayelet Waldman Will Provide “Food for Thought”

Oakland, Calif. (2/18/04) -- Noted Bay Area writer Ayelet Waldman will headline a benefit for the Alameda County Community Food Bank on Thursday, March 11, from 7-9 pm.

Author of Daughter’s Keeper (2003, Sourcebooks Landmark) and the four-volume Mommy-Track Mysteries series (Penguin Putnam), Waldman will do a reading and book signing in the Atrium at Verbena, a downtown Oakland restaurant. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Food Bank’s hunger relief and advocacy efforts.

Born in Israel, Waldman grew up in New Jersey and now lives in Berkeley with her husband and four young children. She is a former federal public defender and teaches a seminar in federal drug policy at the UC Berkeley school of law (Boalt Hall). She is at work on her next novel. (Visit www.ayeletwaldman.com for more biographical information.)

“The human right to a full belly is one so basic that those of us who never have to know its absence can forget how prevalent hunger is in our community,” said Waldman. “I am grateful to the Food Bank for offering me this opportunity to assist them in the wonderful work they do.”

The Food Bank works with 300 community based organizations, including soup kitchens, food pantries and shelters, to provide emergency food assistance to 120,000 people in need each month. In addition to food distribution, the Food Bank works to break the cycle of poverty and hunger through education and advocacy efforts.

The event is presented in partnership with Lafayette Bookstore. Waldman’s books will be available for purchase at the event.

Verbena is located in the APL Building at 1111 Broadway in Oakland, near the 12th Street BART station. Validated parking is available in the adjacent City Center Garage.

Admission is a suggested donation of $40 per person, which includes refreshments catered by Verbena. Reservations are required. Call (510) 834-3663, ext. 328 or email events@accfb.org.