2015 Campus Holiday Food Drive

To: UCSC Community

From: John Steele, UC Santa Cruz Holiday Food Drive chair

Greetings and cheer from the UC Santa Cruz Holiday Food Drive. The food drive works in cooperation with Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County to provide healthy meals to our friends and neighbors in need. The drive runs from now to the winter break.

One in four children in our county go through the day without enough to eat. This can impact developmental opportunities as well as long-term health. The people who need calories the most typically get the lowest quality ones available.

We are honored to work in cooperation with Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz, the healthiest food bank in the nation. With its buying power, Second Harvest distributes more than 60 percent of its meals in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables. Second Harvest recognizes the importance of eating smart and its long-term connection to the health of our community. Your pantry donations go a long way, but your envelope donations can go further with a lower carbon footprint. One hundred percent of your donation is used to feed people in need in our local community, and just one dollar feeds a family of four.

Last year, the UCSC Holiday Food Drive created 150,000 meals for our friends and neighbors in need, making UCSC the third-largest contributor in the county.

Please make a donation to support this great cause either by dropping food off in one of our campus pantry barrels or by using the donation envelopes distributed through campus mail.

You donations are secure through campus mail services. Donation envelopes are being distributed this week. Please make checks payable to Second Harvest Food Bank and mark your affiliation on the memo line. Keep an eye out for this year's raffle!

You can learn more about the drive and how to make donations at http://holidayfooddrive.ucsc.edu

Thank you for your continued support. If you would like to get involved with the food drive, please contact me, John Steele, by email at moriarti@ucsc.edu or by phone at 459-4065.

There are many easy and meaningful ways to get involved.