Hands4Hope collects over 2,700 pounds of food to help those in need

On Sunday, September 18, Hands4Hope held their annual Fall Food Blitz For The hungry to collect food and monetary donations from community members. The goal of this event was to support the continued efforts of local food banks and programs supporting the hungry, including the El Dorado County Food Bank and Twin Lakes Food Bank (Folsom).

The Food Blitz was a one-day drive, based at Safeway Placerville and Grocery Outlet Folsom, where Hands4Hope youth and adult volunteers handed out flyers on current community needs and collected donations from store patrons. The result was over 2,700 pounds of food and $1,183.99 in contributions that were later delivered to the benefiting food banks.

Yoko Kono, the Hands4Hope Outreach Coordinator, along with Hands4Hope youth volunteers, were touched by all of the community support the event received, but especially by one donor in particular.  “The best part of the event,” Kono explained, “was when a man who appeared homeless came up and donated $1, describing that he wanted to help.  He then quietly resumed what he had been doing before: sifting through the trash for cans.  It was such an amazing gesture to witness, and a great learning experience for the youth volunteers. The value of the $1 that the man gave was truly priceless!”

Hands4Hope would like to thank all of those who donated to the Food Blitz, as well as the participating grocery stores, Safeway Placerville and Grocery Outlet Folsom. The day would not have been a success without the overwhelming community support that Hands4Hope received.

Successful Food Blitz helps feed hungry families

Dear Jen & Hands4Hope,

The food drive last weekend was truly awesome for TLFB! We were out of or low on so many basic needs and the 2,125 pounds of food filled our shelves back up. We served 203 families this week & I don't know how we could have with out your generosity and care for others. You make a difference to many!

In Joy,

Tammy

Executive Director of the Twin Lakes Food Bank

Above is a thank you card we received from Tammy this week. We collected $7690 in cash and gift cards, as well as 3,078 pounds of food for the El Dorado County Food Bank and Twin Lakes Food Bank in Folsom at our Spring Food Blitz. 

More than one hundred Hands4Hope volunteers worked at various grocery stores from Folsom to Placerville, collecting gift cards, cash, and food donations to help feed the hungry. Volunteers handed out a wish list of items needed at local food banks, and generous shoppers added those items to their cart.

“Each time Hands4Hope puts on the Food Blitz, I am reminded what an amazingly generous community we have,” says Executive Director of Hands4Hope, Jennifer Bassett. “In a short six hours, on the day before Easter, 120 volunteers collected almost two tons of food and over $7,000. Thank you to the volunteers who gave of their time and to those in the community who generously supported this cause.”

Money and gift cards are split between the food banks, local agencies assisting to feed the hungry and Hands4Hope outreach programs. Hands4Hope would like to thank the many volunteers and generous donors who made the Food Blitz such a success.

Twin Lakes Food Bank Visit

Last Tuesday we went to visit the Twin Lakes Food Bank in Folsom and were welcomed by the director, Tammy.  She informed us about the program she is running.  Everyday, Twin Lake's trucks pick up the extra food from Raleys, Whole Foods, and Savemart and then re-use it for the needy families in Folsom and our surrounding areas.  The people in need are welcomed any day of the week from 9-12:30 and Tuesday nights from 4-7.  Those families are provided with a months worth of groceries, clothes, purses, and anything from diapers to shaving cream.  Twin Lakes usually gets around 70-80 people per day.  This program holds a huge event on Good Friday every year where they give over 600 families an Easter dinner bag and Easter baskets for the kids.  Thanks to the community, Twin Lakes is able to provide such a great service for the families.  Anybody is able to donate their goods, so don't forget to drop off your used clothing or extra groceries at anytime!

While we were there, it was surprising to learn how many people use this food bank in our area.  Families are dependant upon this bank for their groceries. We have never had to worry about running out of food for the month. Many hours of hard work are put in for these people to have fresh milk, produce, and eggs everyday.  The organization is run by dedicated volunteers that inspired us.  Twin Lakes Food Bank opened our eyes to poverty going on around the corner and how easily it is to jump in and help.

During our visit, we were able to capture a few shots of this outstanding organization. 

-Lindsay Lee and Audrey Hayden

Oak Ridge High School Seniors

New Year's Neighborhood Food Drive

The demand for food has increased an alarming 40% in the last two months... and this is on top of the increases over the last two years! 

In mid-December, Tammy, the director of the Twin Lakes Food Bank which serves Sacramento, El Dorado and Placer Counties, put out a plea for soup, cereal, ham, and prayers. The food they received from the Kids Can school drives, which normally holds them over until February, was gone, their shelves emptying quickly.

In response, Hands4Hope, with the help of many of our incredible families, threw together a New Years Neighborhood Food Drive to help get food back on the shelves... and WOW!  We made a big difference in a very short time!!

Hands4Hope volunteers passed out grocery bags with a note explaining the needs on doorsteps through out their neighborhoods.  On January 1st and 2nd, they revisited the homes and collected the bags of food filled by their neighbors.

In total, volunteers collected 2,134 pounds of food.  

Enough to feed 215 families!!

{The Twin Lakes Food Bank truck after just one day!}

Tammy from the food bank sent a text message thanking our volunteers... 

"OH MY GOODNESS! That's a whole lot of food!!! It's amazing what kids can do. They are shining examples."

"It was heartwarming to see the generosity of our neighbors and watching my girls pull the overflowing wagon up and down the hill. They were able to be involved from the start to finish of this project and felt very proud. I want my daughters to know that they can make a difference by helping others even at their young ages. We look forward to helping out again soon!" - Megan, mother of H4H volunteers

"I am so glad the food drive was such a success. It is amazing to see how many of our neighbors wanted to help! There are so many great people in the world!" - Jan, mother of H4H volunteers

"I am so proud of all of you! I'm proud of the way you took hold of this last-minute drive with an excitement and eagerness to help those in need and made it a huge success. I'm proud of your willingness to ask your neighbors to support this effort. I'm proud of the way you took time out of your busy holiday schedules to make this happen. It truly makes me beam with pride when I tell people what our young volunteers have accomplished. The power of our youth is endless and spectacular!" 

- Jennifer Bassett, Founder/Executive Director of Hands4Hope

Thank you to our volunteers and community members who helped make a difference!

Food Bank Blitz - Fall 2011

Our Fall Food Bank Blitz 2011 was extremely successful!

Thank you to all of our fabulous volunteers (almost 200 of them!) who came out and spent 2 hours of their weekend collecting food, gift cards, and cash to help feed the hungry in our community!  The generous people in our area helped us raise...

$8,480 in cash in gift cards

and

3,861 pounds of food

Volunteers,

Twin Lakes Food Bank would like to say an Extra Special "THANK YOU" to the HandsHope Youth.  This Food drive ROCKED!  We weighed in 2,661 pounds of awesome food.  As you can see in this picture (below), the actual "shelves" were getting bare and these baskets of food poured in with perfect timing!

This was another grateful week at the food bank with lots of smiles on the parent's faces and even some giggles were heard from the kids when they saw the extra special goodies and juices!!!

Hands4Hope made a difference in the lives of over 132 families this week and the weeks ahead.  Way to go! :)

In Joy,

Tammy

Director at Twin Lakes Food Bank

Thank you!!!

Food Bank Blitz

Fill It Up . . . FOOD BANK BLITZ!

Benefiting our local food banks!

WHEN: Saturday, September 10, 2011 10 a.m. – 6 p.m

WHERE: In front of participating grocery stores, from Orangevale to Placerville (Safeway, Nugget Market, Raley’s, Bel Air, and Wal Mart)

WHO: Youth and adult volunteers from Hands4Hope and the community will be manning tables at each store to collect donations of food, cash and gift cards. Shoppers will be given a wish list they can use to purchase and donate needed items.

WHY: In this economic downturn, the amount of people and families turning to local food banks is steadily increasing and donations are down.

VOLUNTEER:   Sign ups for the Blitz will begin shortly… stay tuned for details on signing up!!

In 2010, Hands4Hope organized two mass food drives (Blitzes) benefiting the Food Bank of El Dorado County and the Twin Lakes Food Bank. With the help of approximatele130 volunteers at ten stores each time, Hands4Hope volunteers collected a total of 9,700 pounds of food and $14,500 in cash/gift card donations.

Our September 10, 2011 our GOAL is: 200 volunteers, 5,000 pounds of food and $8,000 in cash/gift cards.

All food collected will go to local food banks. Cash and gift cards will be divided 50/50 between the food banks and Hands4Hope.

Make a difference for the hungry in our community!

For more information, please email us at volunteercoordinator@hands4hopeyouth.org

Spring Blitz: Best to Date

Hands4Hope held its bi-annual Spring Food Bank Blitz on April 2, 2011. The event was a huge success, with more than 200 volunteers helping to spread awareness of hunger to shoppers at 10 grocery stores from Orangevale to Placerville. 

Partnering with volunteers from various organizations throughout the area, such as Holy Trinity Community Church, Boy Scout Pack 454, Twin Lakes Food Bank, and Light of the Hills Lutheran Church, we collected more than 4,000 pounds of food and $10,400 in cash and gift cards. The food and money collected will help feed hungry people in Sacramento and El Dorado Counties.

If you missed out on this Blitz, you can sign up for our second one coming up in August. Keep checking our website for more information on dates and sign ups.

What would you do with a pot of gold?

It's the week of St. Patrick's Day and to help bring the green spirit to one of our food distribution locations, our parent volunteer, Inga, brought St. Patties pictures for the kids to color.

We call our kids spot the "Kids Cafe" which allows parents to have some time to get what they need and not worry about their children.

6 year old Mary Jane made her first visit with her dad to the kids cafe last week.  While she was there, she met our founder, Jennifer, who was volunteering at the event.

Mary Jane colored a beautiful picture.  It was a multi colored rainbow with clouds, a leprechaun, and a pot of gold.

When she brought it over to show Jennifer the picture, Jen said, "wow, what a great picture, you even have the gold colored in with a gold crayon!  What would you do with a big pot of gold?"

Mary Jane thought for a minute or two before she looked up at Jen and said, "I would save it."

Jen replied, "what would you save it for?"

Again, Mary Jane thought for a moment.  Then she said, "food.  I would save it for food.  Lately, we haven't had a lot of it at our house."

Jennifer looked around the room at all of the youth volunteers who were working the event.  They had all heard her say that.  Each of them felt a connection to Mary Jane.  Not only was it a reminder of the issues of hunger and the people it affects, but how young some children are being affected.

picture courtesy of