The Big Blue Bus, which spearheaded the 15th annual food drive competition between city departments collected a total of 29,001 pounds of food during this year’s drive. The food will be distributed to families in need throughout Santa Monica and the Westside.
New to this year’s campaign was the ability of the public to donate food at special bins placed around town, or via cash contributions through a special online donation center set up by the American Red Cross in Santa Monica. All donations benefited the American Red Cross, which distributes food to agencies around L.A. County, including the Westside Food Bank.
The winning Santa Monica city departments and their donations were:
Winning Small Dept: City Attorney’s Office – 8,500lbs
Winning Medium Dept: Library – 5,953lbs
Winning Large Dept: Big Blue Bus – 2,859lbs.
City employees donated $4,312 in cash contributions, and online donations to the Red Cross came in at $885. Combined, these efforts will allow for the distribution of 25,985 pounds of food from city workers which when combined with the 3,016 pounds donated by the general public will relieve the hunger pains of many.
Recipients of the American Red Cross of Santa Monica include the Westside Food Bank, which feeds more than 70,000 people each year; WISE Senior services, which operates local senior centers in the area; and Meals on Wheels, offering mobile food service for local senior citizens.
The annual food drive ran from November 26 to January 10.
For more information about the Big Blue Bus, visit www.BigBlueBus.com.
To learn more about the American Red Cross and its services, visit www.redcrossofsantamonica.org.
