About one year ago, Erv Bradley heard about Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS) from a longtime SFBFS volunteer. Since retirement, Erv had been looking for a place to serve where he might be able to use his Spanish speaking skills. His wife’s friend, a volunteer in the Adult Education program at SFBFS, suggested the program to Erv, and he’s been volunteering ever since. Erv has found that the program allows him to help a wide variety of adult students, several of whom are learning English, but the majority who are studying for their GED exam or taking community college courses and need additional help. He admires the students who have made the time in their often busy and diffi

The pictures in the newspapers, on TV and the Internet are devastating. The massive damage of the 7.0 earthquake is hard to imagine even when faced with screen shots. The international response to pull people from the rubble and get supplies in is heartening as is the millions of dollars raised by individual donors and a national star-studded telethon. At the same time, however, what is disheartening is to see the children. UNICEF estimates 380,000 children had already lost one or both parents before the quake and were left homeless when their orphanages collapsed. Now, as many as one million more have been left without one or both parents following the earthquake. UNICEF has warned the s

From October to December 2009, volunteers contributed over 13,800 hours of service at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS). One of the top contributors during the busy winter season was volunteer Chris Suter. “He worked basically as an un-paid staff member for two weeks,” says Genevieve Deignan, Director of the Saca Community Learning Center (Saca CLC). She is referring to the last two weeks of December, when the Saca CLC collects donated gifts from the community and matches them to families in need through the annual Adopt-a-Family program. Chris organized the distribution of gifts to over 200 families who participate in programs at SFBFS. Chris volunteered every day for the las

Sacramento environmental groups gathered Thursday night to recognize local leaders in sustainability and to raise funds for local environmental projects. Sustainable Sacramento was hosted by Pesticide Watch and Slow Food Sacramento. The event was held at Hot Italian Pizza and Panini Bar in midtown Sacramento. As attendees escaped the damp streets and persistent rain, they were greeted warmly by Paul S. Towers, state director of Pesticide Watch Education Fund, and Slow Food Sacramento’s Kathy Les. Hot Italian co-owner Fabrizio Cercatore poured glasses of red wine and brought out a variety of pizzas for guests to enjoy. Pesticide Watch, a statewide organization based in Sacramento, seeks t

Seven years ago, as I lay in a hospital bed, amazed to be alive, depression knocking on the door, I made a commitment to find joy everyday. It’s that commitment to joy that led me to work at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services years ago. I am the Manager of an art program for women who are going through hard times. "Hard times" is much more complicated than that very broad term. We tend to visualize the women working the streets or men panhandling at the intersections, and shopping carts with worldly belongings. I don’t expect an explanation from the women who come to this program but eventually their story comes out. Stories of illness, lost jobs, lost love, lost dignity, expensive me

     By now most of us are getting a little tired of hearing about Christmas, but this is one short story that we all want, and need, to hear about. On December 22 my six year old son and I went to the Saca center on Del Paso Blvd. This day is one of the most memorable days of the year as we were able to witness a true Christmas miracle that most people only see in the classic Christmas movies. What we saw was the Saca center giving an awesome Christmas to over 274 families in the surrounding neighborhood of Del Paso Heights. Most of these families came from the local neighborhood of the Saca center, probably clients of their Community center and Mother Baby program. It is especially nice

I’ve been volunteering at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS) on a regular basis for the better part of a year now. Generally, I’m there twice a week; more if they’re having an event or need a little extra help. The holidays are always a busy time at SFBFS with their Turkey Drive, Run To Feed The Hungry and Adopt-A-Family all happening in quick succession. Despite the immense amount of planning required for these events and the short time frames, these events are always tremendously well organized by the SFBFS staff, so all that we volunteers have to do is show up. I was fortunate enough to help out at the Thanksgiving events this year and thoroughly enjoyed them, thus I was lo

On October 30, 2009, staff and volunteers from various programs at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS) attended the 9th Annual Volunteer Spirit Awards luncheon at Arden Hills Resort. This event, put on by the Volunteer Center of Sacramento and DOVIA, is the largest volunteer recognition ceremony honoring Sacramento area volunteers. Nominees come from a wide range of agencies, with areas of volunteerism ranging from education, animals, heath, family services, hospitals, shelters, counseling and much more. Many SFBFS program managers take advantage of this opportunity to recognize their dedicated volunteers by nominating the dedicated and accomplished volunteers we have at SFBFS.

What better way to celebrate the holidays this season than to get in the spirit of giving! Here at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services there are two great ways that families and individuals can contribute to making the season brighter for others in our community. Adopt-a-Family allows us to get into the spirit of giving by donating gifts specifically selected for a family in need. Contributors recieve the names, genders, ages, clothing sizes and any specific needs of family members and gather gifts for the family or individuals. Families then receive these gifts just in time for the holidays. This project benefits than 500 local families right here in our community who otherwise could

Individuals wishing to purchase a $5 raffle ticket to win a $25,000 diamond ring have just two weeks left. Rogers Jewelry Co. and Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS) have tickets available now through December 30, 2009. In June, nearly 1,000 individuals participated in the first annual Race for the Rock, a text message-based scavenger hunt via bicycle through downtown Sacramento. Participants answered historical clues and tracked down hidden information in hopes of uncovering the amazing prize. The event’s entry fee benefited programs at SFBFS. The winners of Race for the Rock went home with a 1.5 carat diamond ring. Within weeks of the event, the winning couple decided to dona

This year, 28,500 Sacramento residents participated in the event, raising over $800,000 to support programs at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. Your participation in the Run to Feed the Hungry helps families in need via our various programs including: -Food assitance -Clothing -Mother Baby Program -Adult Education -Women’s Wisdom Art These programs and services are made possible because of contributions from supporters like you. To find out more information about Run to Feed the Hungry, including fundraising deadlines, category 
winners or to look up your finish time, please visit www.runtofeedthehungry.com. We appreciate and welcome any feedback and ideas from race participant

About 60 community members gathered at the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services last night to make the holidays a little bit brighter for Oak Park's children.   The Oak Park Neighborhood Association has collected 300 toys for its Oak Park Toy Give-Away, which began Nov. 22 and will continue until Dec. 18. "Imagine knowing that you may not receive a gift...Kids everywhere look forward to the thrill of opening gifts and we want to make sure that kids in Oak Park get to experience the excitement," said board member Michael Boyd, "Even more importantly, we want them to know they live in a community that cares about them; a community that values them, and a community that will help them."

Please join The Sacramento Press on Saturday for a day of fun and helping the community.  Bring new or used sports equipment and gain free admission to The Carnival at St. Rose plus a chance to win tickets to the December 6 Kings game.      WHAT:  The Sacramento Press sponsors a drive to collect new or used sports equipment   WHO:  Proceeds benefit Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services (www.sfbs.org)   WHERE:  The Carnival at St. Rose, 7th and K Sts., Sacramento   WHEN:  10 a.m. – noon on Saturday, December 5   WHY:  Underprivileged children gain equipment to play athletics   HOW:  Donation of new or used sports equipment gains free admission to the carnival   MORE:  Dona

In preparation for the Toy Give-Away by the Oak Park Neighborhood Association (OPNA), the community is invited to the Gift Wrapping and Pot Luck dinner on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009 from 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services at 3333 3rd Avenue. All are invited to join the festivities, bring some food, maybe a gift and or wrapping and get into the season of sharing. Or just show up and eat some food, meet some new friends, and help with the wrapping. OPNA is collecting and will distribute gifts to Oak Park children for the 5th year. Each year, hundreds of children receive gifts and this year the number is likely to be even greater than previous years. The goal is t

The Sacramento Press at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services' 2009 Run to Feed the Hungry  we and had the pleasure of meeting thousands of run participants that morning. Whether it was to support SFBFS, get exercise, spend time with loved ones, or a combination of all of those reasons, here are some of them.  We asked visitors that stopped by our booth to let us know, why did you Run to Feed the Hungry? Nikki Carlson, Sacramento "We participated as a way to feel like we gave something back to those who go without during the holidays in our community. It's a small gesture, but it ends up making a big difference! And It made us feel great the whole day!" Darcy Smith, Sacramento "To run

  Continued from Part 1  As participants near the finish, bystanders cheer them on and hold signs of support and thanks Kevin Johnson hangs out on the sidelines as participants complete the race 5K runners and walkers finish the final stretch of Run to Feed the Hungry Supportive onlookers wait for runners to cross the finish line, taken by George Raya  Participants pour Into the end zone of RTFTH, taken by Laura Smith   View from above the sidelines as racers finish, taken by George Raya   10K run participants, taken by Michael Fitzgerald Voyage Home Loans Team Goodness at the Finish Line (left to right): Bus. Dev. Manager Ryan Lucia, Dir. of Customer

Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services welcomed around 29,000 participants in their sixteenth annual Run to Feed the Hungry on Thanksgiving Day.  Here are a collection of photos taken by The Sacramento Press along with participants' photos from the run submitted to us.   As the sun comes up Thanksgiving morning, trucks set up the time marks along the race route on the CSU, Sacramento campus SFBFS volunteers prepare the after-party area to re-fuel runners and walkers   Corporate teams/sponsors gather in the crowded VIP tent to have group photos taken Corporate teams have their team photos taken  Teams fuel up with doughnuts, bananas, coffee, and energy bars provided by

Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS) is thankful for a wonderful turnout at the 16th annual Run to Feed the Hungry. The final number of participants is still being tallied, but at least 29,000 individuals participated in today’s event. This morning’s 5K and 10K offered a split start time, a single finish line and new race routes.   “The turnout at this year’s Run is unbelievable,” shares Blake Young, President/CEO of Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. “Our organization is so thankful for the support we receive at this event and year round. None of our service delivery would be possible without the support of the Sacramento community.”   Run to Feed the Hungry participant

There was an amazing turnout this year for the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services Run to Feed the Hungry. At least 29,000 people showed up to support this great cause. Please use the following links to see the timed results of the race: Run to Feed the Hungry 2009 race results: 10K Run Overall:  www.capitalroadrace.com/results/09_RTF_10K_OVL.HTM Age Group: www.capitalroadrace.com/results/09_RTF_10K_AG.HTM 5K Run/Walk Overall: www.capitalroadrace.com/results/09_RTF_5K_OVL.HTM Age Group: www.capitalroadrace.com/results/09_RTF_5K_AG.HTM   Here are the top finishers from the 10K Run and 5K Run/Walk:  2009 Run to Feed the Hungry 10K Run, Overall Finish List: 1st Place-Max King, 2

With 6,592 turkeys collected, the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services 2009 second-annual Turkey Drive will make Thanksgiving for many Sacramento families' a bit brighter. Despite heavy rain and winds, volunteers collected turkeys and directed the lines of cars that pulled up to the food bank Friday. As the rain fell continuously, donors stayed dry in the drive-through drop-off while volunteers retrieved turkeys. "I knew I had to donate this year because there are so many people out of work and struggling just to pay their bills," said Roseville resident Karrin Segur. "Everyone deserves to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families, and shouldn’t have to worry about feeding their fami