Santa Monicans Mark Thankgiving with Food Drive
By Sam Skopp
As U.C. Berkeley’s football team faced off against the Stanford Cardinals in their annual Big Game Saturday, Santa Monicans who are members of the Cal alumni took time to volunteer with the Westside Food Bank, helping sort through the large influx of food donations received in the lead up to the Holiday season.
This was the first year that local Cal alumni organized a “Day of Giving.”
The event was initiated by alumni Helene Winkler in an effort to unite her peers.
“This is when people feel the inclination to give, so we open our arms welcoming all the food we get. The community is very generous: schools, churches, temples, alum programs, mommy programs all come together,” Winkler said.
Westside Food Bank’s Director of Volunteer Services Allison Griffith explained that as well as receiving generous donations of food, she is often overwhelmed by offers of volunteer support
“We work with other alumni and it’s always a great experience. People have already bonded around their university, so that’s a fun activity for them to get together, besides for sporting events and stuff, to come really give back. It’s always been a good experience for the food bank to have alumni days,” Griffith said.
For more information or to volunteer visit westsidefoodbankca.org.
