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“Feed the Need” raises over 76 tons of food for the Army and local food bank.
By Debbie cohen
The Big Fresno (Calif.) Fair “Feed the Need” Community Food Drive in partnership with The Salvation Army, Community Food Bank and media partners, raised 76.5 tons of food for the community on Oct. 11, breaking its own national record for a single-day, single-location food drive with a 42 percent increase in donations.
More than 300 volunteers donated their time from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., collecting five cans of food per person as visitors entered the fair for free in exchange for contributions to The Salvation Army and Community Food Bank.
“Our motto at the Fair is to be a little bit bigger and a little bit better each year, and the results of the 2012 ‘Feed the Need’ Community Food Drive exemplified just that,” said John C. Alkire, CEO of The Big Fresno Fair. “This effort would not be possible without our incredible partners, support from the media and most importantly, the community members who stepped up in a big way, yet again to help those in need.”
The success of the 2012 “Feed the Need” Community Food Drive is attributed to an increase of cash donations from fair patrons, local businesses, outreach efforts of The Big Fresno Fair Board of Directors, and a generous donation of 20,000 pounds of food from Wawona Frozen Foods.
Including the 2012 “Feed the Need” Community Food Drive, The Big Fresno Fair has collected a total of 210.5 tons of food for the community since the single-day event began in 2009.
