December 13, 1999 Dramatic increase in UCSC support for Second Harvest Food drive By Karin Wanless In a tremendous outpouring of community support, UCSC students, staff, and faculty collected over 14,000 pounds of food for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties. This is a six-fold increase over previous years. Manny Grijalva, manager of Mail Services, gives more than 80 checks supporting Second Harvest Food Bank to Chancellor Greenwood on Friday (more photos). Photo: Victor Schriffin Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood visited the Campus Mail Services on Friday to thank the staff there who collected and transported the bags of food. She was impressed by the sight of the nine large mail hampers brimming with food that would later be put in a Metro Santa Cruz bus. "I am very proud of the campus community's compassionate spirit. This successful food drive is another example of the generosity and civic mindedness of students, staff, and faculty." Second Harvest Food Bank provides food to 22 social service agencies and pantries in the area, including the Familia Center, Salvation Army, Daily Bread Food Pantry, Grandma Sue's Community Project, Holy Cross Church, Seventh Day Adventist Church, and People Helping People Pantry. Of the 36,000 people to be fed through local agencies and pantries, half will be children, according to Willie Elliot McCrea, executive director of Second Harvest. "There really seems to be an increased understanding that if we really want to break the cycle of poverty, we need to make sure the children are fed so that when they get to school they have the ability to learn and get the skills they need to support their own families someday." Cash donations are still being accepted. For every donated dollar, Second Harvest distributes more than $10 worth of food. Make your check out to Second Harvest Food Bank with a note stating "UCSC Food Drive." Send it via Campus Mail to UCSC Food Drive. Ronaldo Ramirez and Sheila Gottehrer co-coordinated the successful food drive, along will committee members Manuel Grijalva, Judy Hobor, and John Holloway. Staff from Campus Mail Services volunteered to collect the grocery bags. Students from Sigma Omicron Pi and Pi Alpha Phi raised nearly $200 from their Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich food drive. Scott Jones, University Food Service general manager of Sodexho Marriott, donated almost $300 on behalf of UCSC students who each gave one meal from their meal card to UCSC's Food Drive. Santa Cruz Metro Transit donated a bus that was filled full of food. Roger Anderson, Academic Senate chair and Clare Greene, Staff Advisory Board chair, also gave general support to the food drive. Return to Front Page