San Francisco Food Bank to Provide Holiday Groceries for a Record Number of Families this Thanksgiving

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, November 25, 2010 (Press-News.org) Across San Francisco and Marin, thousands of people who might otherwise be forced to go without this holiday season are lining up to receive traditional Thanksgiving groceries. While some reports indicate that the recession is over, the San Francisco Food Bank has seen a 32 percent increase in requests this year and will be distributing more food to those at risk of hunger than ever before.

All told, the food bank will hand out over 1 million pounds of holiday groceries this season, providing more than 35,700 households with everything they need to prepare Thanksgiving meals in their own homes. This is an increase of nearly 6,000 families from this time last year and a sobering increase of more than 14,000 holiday meals versus two years ago.

To put that in perspective, here's the San Francisco Food Bank's staggering Thanksgiving shopping list:

34,000 Chickens
80,000 Pounds of yams
100,000 Pounds of potatoes
80,000 Pounds of apples
30,000 Pounds of carrots
35,000 Pounds of cabbage
70,000 Pounds of onions
20,000 Pounds of lettuce
40,000 Pounds of celery
36,720 Cans of cranberry sauce
35,000 Pounds of rice
143,012 Cans of Del Monte green beans, corn and peas
36,000 Packets of gravy mix
6,400 Bottles of Asian sauce
13,000 Loaves of bread
32,000 Bags of pumpkin spice cookie mix
3,000 Pounds of chocolates

Where do all the groceries come from? Through donations of cash and food. Manufacturers, like Del Monte, provided some items, while most others had to be purchased by the San Francisco Food Bank. Food drives help, but they can't keep pace with skyrocketing demand.

"We would not be successful without the support of the community around us," said Paul Ash, Executive Director of the San Francisco Food Bank. "This time of year and always, we encourage people to come together to help those who are truly in need."

Those who wish to donate nonperishable food items can drop them off at local grocery stores, where orange San Francisco Food Bank collection barrels are found. To make a cash donation online, visit http://www.sffoodbank.org/donate.

About the San Francisco Food Bank
Hunger is a serious problem in our community - with 1 in 5 children and 1 in 5 adults at risk of hunger in San Francisco and Marin. Every day, the San Francisco Food Bank sources, collects, sorts, inspects and repackages thousands of pounds of food, then distributes it to soup kitchens, neighborhood grocery centers, school programs and seniors in need.

The San Francisco Food Bank serves over 200,000 people each year throughout San Francisco and Marin counties, and will distribute 41.5 million pounds of food to the community this year - enough for 88,000 meals every day. 60% of what is distributed is fresh fruits and vegetables. For more information, visit http://www.SFFoodBank.org