This Thanksgiving, Santa Monica families and Santa Monica College (SMC) students struggling with food insecurity will have one less thing to worry about.
SMC, the SMC Foundation, the City of Santa Monica through its “We are Santa Monica” initiative, Boys and Girls Club of Santa Monica, and Community Corporation of Santa Monica will be giving away free Thanksgiving groceries for a complete feast, to families and students in need.
The drive-thru GIVING THANKS(giving) holiday pantry will take place from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Tuesday, November 24, 2020 on SMC’s main campus. This event is not open to the general public and families/individuals are required to make advanced reservations through the participating organizations.
According to SMC, it is expected that up to 1,500 families and students will be served. Groceries to be distributed include a fresh turkey apiece, fresh produce, dinner rolls, non-alcoholic beverages and a pumpkin pie.
SMC Superintendent/President Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery noted that COVID-19 has deeply impacted households and college students who were already struggling with food insecurity.
“Even by the most conservative estimates, the number of households without dependable access to nutritious food has, at the very least, doubled,” Jeffery said “According to a Spring 2020 survey run by The Hope Center, 44 percent among two-year college students are struggling with food insecurity. Behind those numbers are real people, members of our communities. This joint effort to positively impact students and families during a pandemic is just one way to help replace their stress and anxiety with some joy.”
The event’s sponsors include:
· Associated Students of Santa Monica College,
· Costco Culver City
· Everytable
· Santa Monica Travel & Tourism
· The Butter End Cakery
· Verizon
· Vicente Foods
· Vintage Grocers
· Westside Food Bank
· Whole Foods Market
To donate, go to santamonicacollegefoundation.org/thanksgiving. For more information on the GIVING THANKS(giving) event, email Moore_Lizzy@smc.edu and via phone: 310-780-9279.
