Santa Cruz County’s business, civic, and community leaders represent diverse people and interests, so it was an inspiring scene last Friday as so many of them came together in one room to work towards one goal: conceiving the myriad strategies, fundraisers, and competitions which comprise Second Harvest’s annual Holiday Food & Fund Drive.
At the Leadership Luncheon, these leaders strategized how to organize the numerous community and neighborhood drives which will determine whether Second Harvest meets our goal of raising 4.5 million meals for those in need this holiday season.
It’s an ambitious goal—nearly half a million meals more than we raised last year. But just as a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, a food drive of four and a half million meals begins with a single session of brainstorming.
“…A food drive of four and a half million meals begins with a single session.”
Gears turned and ideas flowed fast as top movers and shakers shared past successful food drives and brainstormed creative new ones to roll out this holiday season.
Some drives collect barrels of food, while others raise funds which fill those barrels even faster. In fact, because of Second Harvest’s relationships with growers and our buying power, it takes only $25 in cash donations for us to fill an entire barrel with food.
But it takes both food and funds to be able to feed so many who need a little help from their community to get through a tough time. And ideas for both—some proven, some yet to be—came fast and furious... Read the full article