Andy Moves In

For those who have been following the life of this young man, from the article in the Elk Grove Citizen, to the time spent with caring PATH volunteers and staff who assisted Andy and helped improve his circumstances. Andy has found a new home!

Andy has been homeless for three years. He did not want to rely on assistance. He wanted to work, get a good job and improve his life. With the help of the PATH (People Assisting The Homeless) program and a concerned community; Andy received help with his hearing problem, and help with repairing his vehicle. Determined to become gainfully employed, he worked on his resume, refined his interviewing skills and landed a great job. With further assistance from PATH, Andy has learned to save and budget his earnings, so that he can afford to rent a room and end his homelessness.


Andy is another shining example of what can be done with determination and hard work. We at EGFBS are so pleased about Andy's new start, that we had a small house warming "shower" to make sure he had the essentials for this new era of his life.

Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Grants Program

We just received word from Kaiser Permanente that our proposed expansion of the Mobile Pantry program has been approved and funded. Now our volunteers can take food and clothing on the road to another venue for distribution. Those clients who are home-bound, isolated, or otherwise without transportation to and from our Dino Drive facility will be able to receive service from the food bank and clothes closet.

On behalf of the entire Food Bank family we want to thank Kaiser Permanente for the $15,000 funding for our Mobile Pantry Program. The Elk Grove Food Bank Services thrives because of gifts like these. We cannot accomplish our goals without the support of donors like Kaiser Permanente.

Elk Grove Western Festival

Howdy Partners !

The Elk Grove Western Festival will be held on the 30th of April and the 1st of May. Once again, the Festival Board of Directors has granted EGFBS a "Community Area" booth to get the word out as to who we are and what we do.

In conjunction with that, we have been given permission to hold a food drive. Johnson Amusements have announced that they will give one ride ticket for every can of food brought to the Food Bank Booth.

See you at the Twister!

Methodist Hospital MRE

Got a phone call from Methodist Hospital, they had five to six pallets of Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) to donate to the Food Bank. After I picked my jaw off the floor, I wrote down their contact information so our Operations Manager could arrange to pick up their donation.

When the truck got back from Methodist Hospital, we looked in the back of the truck and it was full of cases of MREs. (I forgot the camera.) But that truckload was only half of their donation. The other half would be picked up the next day.

Eversafe Emergency Meal Kit

There is a Therma pouch for heating the food. We discovered three different type of entrees: beef stew, chicken noodle casserole, and spaghetti with meat and sauce. Mango peach apple sauce filled in the fruit food group and there were sweets for dessert: toffee cookies and an energy bar. Peanuts were included for a snack. The kit included coffee, cream and sugar; salt and pepper, utensils, a napkin and teeth wipes.

This complete Kit is perfect for distribution to our homeless clients. Many do not have access to a place to cook their food. What a treat for them to have a warm meal. Thank you, Methodist Hospital!

Frontier Phone Book

Look in your new Frontier Phone Book. Turn to the back page.

Frontier Communications has graciously donated the full page advertisement. Isn't it beautiful?

Elk Grove Food Bank Services thanks Frontier Communications for their faithful commitment to our organization.

Award Winning People at EGFBS

Every now and then we need to brag about the incredible people involved at the EG Food Bank. Recently, the Soroptimists of Rio Cosumnes held a Salute to Women Luncheon at Palermo's in Elk Grove. Two women from EGFBS were recognized at the luncheon.

Tamara, a client of Support Works, received the Woman's Opportunity Award, given to a woman, head of household, going back to school to better herself. Tamara's story was told on a previous posting, Metamorphosis at Support Works.

Tamara is a shining example of what can be done with determination and guidance from Support Works. She has utilized the Job Readiness Training and Support Group components of Support Works and is steadily working towards being independent.

Rosa, a key volunteer at EGFBS, received the Women Helping Women Award. Rosa is a long-time daily volunteer at the Food Bank and has developed our Mobile Pantry program that serves migrant farm workers and their families in the Franklin area. When Rosa heard of the group of migrant farm worker families isolated, without transportation, poor and struggling to feed and clothe themselves, she jumped at the opportunity to serve them. The program has grown to serve 37 households, 237 individuals.

After each delivery of food and clothing to these Franklin clients, Rosa marvels at their polite, helpful, and grateful nature. They look out for their neighbors that have the greatest need -- each family holds back on the amount of food and clothing they receive, until everyone has been served. Then if there are leftovers, the ones with the greatest need come back for more. Working with these clients is a pleasure for Rosa, she enjoys her time in Franklin each month.

Run 4 Independence

I wanted to let everyone know that the registration is now open for Run4independence.

The website is www.run4independence.com.

7th Annual
Run 4 Independence
Elk Grove 10K Championship, 5K Run/Walk
& Kids' ¼ Mile and ½ Mile Fun Runs

Saturday, June 25, 2011
Elk Grove Regional Park