Community

Alameda County Holiday Food Drive Yields 10,000 Pounds of Donations

Published

12 years ago

December 31, 2013

Alameda County’s recent first-ever Stone Soup Holiday Food Drive and Design Competition resulted in some inspired displays made entirely with boxes and cans of non-perishable food.

The imaginative creations included a Bay Bridge montage, a computer work station and a 3-D depiction of Alameda County with landmarks such as Mission Peak and the Altamont windmills – were created with 10,000 pounds – or 5 tons – of edibles donated by County employees in time for the holidays.

The total donations mark a more than 3-fold increase over last year’s total.

The Stone Soup competition is a new spin on what is an annual rite for Alameda County – a holiday food drive in which County employees pitch in to help the families in need through donations of food and cash to Alameda County Community Food Bank.

But by injecting friendly competition and new levels of inspiration into the tradition, the county more than tripled its usual donations of food, and raised about $4,000 in cash as well.

The Food Bank can distribute $4 of food for every $1 in cash that is donated.

“The level of creativity, determination and community spirit shown by our County employees is thrilling to behold,” said Susan S. Muranishi, County Administrator. “Not only have they brought in record numbers of donations through this effort, they also have created some powerful displays that drive home the message about hunger right here in our community.”

Each year at this time County employees are reminded to pitch in by contributing healthy, non-perishable food items to the signature red Food Bank barrels that are set up in most County buildings.

The effort usually nets about 3,000 pounds of donated food as well as cash – as does a similar food drive the County conducts in the summer months. Each effort supports the Alameda County Community Food Bank in its mission to put food on the tables of children and adults struggling with the burden of hunger.

“This project demonstrates the strong ties between County departments, County employees, community organizations and the community that we serve,” said Keith Carson, President of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. “At a time when many individuals and families are still struggling to put food on the table, County employees have responded by increasing their commitment to combating hunger through the annual Holiday Food Drive.”

The Alameda County Community Food Bank will gladly accept donations through the holidays and beyond to help the less fortunate in our community. To donate, go to: www.accfb.org/

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Stockton’s Inner City Theatre presents “A Raisin in the Sun”

Don't Miss

Broncos Hand Raiders Loss to End the Season

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of July 2- 8, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 2 – 8, 2025

Published

6 days ago

July 7, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

Trump Set to Sign Largest Cut to Medicaid After a Marathon Protest Speech by Leader Jeffries

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The bill also represents the biggest cut in Medicare in history and is a threat to the health care coverage of over 15 million people. The spending in Trump’s signature legislation also opens the door to a second era of over-incarceration in the U.S.

Published

1 week ago

July 3, 2025

Oakland Post

By Lauren Burke

By a vote of 218 to 214, the GOP-controlled U.S. House passed President Trump’s massive budget and spending bill that will add $3.5 trillion to the national debt, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The bill also represents the biggest cut in Medicare in history and is a threat to the health care coverage of over 15 million people. The spending in Trump’s signature legislation also opens the door to a second era of over-incarceration in the U.S. With $175 billion allocated in spending for immigration enforcement, the money for more police officers eclipsed the 2026 budget for the U.S. Marines, which is $57 billion. Almost all of the policy focus from the Trump Administration has focused on deporting immigrants of color from Mexico and Haiti.

The vote occurred as members were pressed to complete their work before the arbitrary deadline of the July 4 holiday set by President Trump. It also occurred after Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries took the House floor for over 8 hours in protest. Leader Jeffries broke the record in the U.S. House for the longest floor speech in history on the House floor. The Senate passed the bill days before and was tied at 50-50, with Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski saying that, “my hope is that the House is gonna look at this and recognize that we’re not there yet.” There were no changes made to the Senate bill by the House. A series of overnight phone calls to Republicans voting against, not changes, was what won over enough Republicans to pass the legislation, even though it adds trillions to the debt. The Trump spending bill also cuts money to Pell grants.

“The Big Ugly Bill steals food out of the hands of starving children, steals medicine from the cabinets of cancer patients, and equips ICE with more funding and more weapons of war than the United States Marine Corps. Is there any question of who those agents will be going to war for, or who they will be going to war against? Beyond these sadistic provisions, Republicans just voted nearly unanimously to close urban and rural hospitals, cripple the child tax credit, and to top it all off, add $3.3 trillion to the ticking time bomb that is the federal deficit – all from a party that embarrassingly pretends to stand for fiscal responsibility and lowering costs,” wrote Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) in a statement on July 3.

“The Congressional Budget Office predicts that 17 million people will lose their health insurance, including over 322,000 Virginians. It will make college less affordable. Three million people will lose access to food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). And up to 16 million students could lose access to free school meals. The Republican bill does all of this to fund tax breaks for millionaires, billionaires, and corporations,” wrote Education and Workforce Committee ranking member Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) in a statement. The bill’s passage has prompted Democrats to start thinking about 2026 and the next election cycle. With the margins of victory in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate being so narrow, many are convinced that the balance of power and the question of millions being able to enjoy health care come down to only several thousand votes in congressional elections. But currently, Republicans controlled by the MAGA movement control all three branches of government. That reality was never made more stark and more clear than the last seven days of activity in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.