SANTA MONICA— The city of Santa Monica announced on Friday, October 30, that they will be teaming up with Santa Monica College through its “We are Santa Monica” initiative, Community Corporation of Santa Monica and the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Monica to provide free Thanksgiving groceries to students and families in need. The goal is to raise $50,000 in order to provide a complete Thanksgiving feast for hundreds of food-insecure college students and Santa Monica families. Every $50 donation provides a thanksgiving feast for one family.
A drive-thru holiday pantry will take place on Tuesday, November 24, 2020, from 10 a.m – 6 p.m. on Santa Monica Colleges’ main campus. Families must make a reservation in advance through participating organizations in order to receive goods. Up to 1,500 families and students are expected to be served. Groceries will include non-alcoholic beverages, dinner rolls, fresh produce, a fresh turkey apiece, and a pumpkin pie.
Sponsors of the event include Whole Foods Market, Westside Food Bank, Verizon, The Butter End Cakery, Vicente Foods, Everytable, Vintage Grocers, Santa Monica Travel & Tourism, Costco Culver City, and Associated Students of Santa Monica College.
Interim City Manager Lane Dilg has stated, “This Thanksgiving, we have an opportunity to lift up local families in need and remember the joy that generosity and gratitude bring. Santa Monica thrives when we help each other. This is one of many chances to give in a year when we must, more than ever before, come together as a community.”
Santa Monica Colleges President/Superintended, Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery has noted that “Even by the most conservative estimates, the number of households without dependable access to nutritious food has, at the very least, doubled, and 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.”
Donations can be made at santamonicacollegefoundation.org/thanksgiving. For more information on the event please call (310)-780-9279 or email Moore_Lizzy@smc.edu.
