Assistance League of Diablo Valley's Food Box Program Welcomes Corporate Partners from the City of Walnut Creek

Thank you, Corporate Partner employee volunteers from the City of Walnut Creek: (l to r) Olivia Lamon, Sheri Lund, Alex Karpukhin, Matt Huffaker, Carla Hansen, Renee Foley, Ray Lam and Mojgan Rahimi!

Established in 2012, Assistance League® of Diablo Valley’s Community Programs includes seven programs that meet a range of community needs. Food Boxes is one of these programs whose committee members purchase food items and everyday necessities for individuals and families in our community who are in crisis.

In preparing for a Thanksgiving feast, Food Boxes committee members selected such nutritious items as canned hams, tamales, refried beans, green beans, canned yams, canned pumpkin, canned cranberry, turkeys, turkey stuffing, turkey chili, instant mashed potatoes, fruit cocktail, peanut butter, jelly and cereal. Everyday needs such as laundry detergent, dish soap, toothpaste and bath soap completed the inventory. Once delivered to the Assistance League facility in Walnut Creek, its large conference room became an assembly line workplace.

The next phase involved the organization’s Corporate Partners Program, which enlists hands-on and financial help from members of the business and civic communities. On November 19, Assistance League of Diablo Valley President Veronica Gant and Corporate Partners Co-Chairman Linda Mercer welcomed employee volunteers from the city of Walnut Creek. Following an overview concerning the chapter’s ten philanthropic programs, the civic-minded volunteers effortlessly broke down cartons, assembled boxes, and filled 60 of them with the above mentioned items in two hours’ time. Bottom Line: Assistance League of Diablo Valley’s Community Program-Food Boxes, with the help of corporate partners from the City of Walnut Creek city officials, continued to put “Caring and Commitment into Action.”

The third phase, distribution, engaged the Contra Costa County Service Integration Program who, with the help of CAL WORKS, delivered 30 filled boxes to both Richmond and Bay Point Family Service Centers, a mere 30 minutes from Walnut Creek. The entire process went beyond providing a meal to celebrate giving thanks. While the food obviously abated hunger, it celebrated a community awareness and support that nurtured at a deeper level.

To learn more about the Corporate Partners Program, please visit the website: diablovalley.assistanceleague.org, or phone 925-934-0901. To learn about Assistance League of Diablo Valley’s other philanthropic programs which are funded by its thrift shop in Lafayette, and its recently awarded GuideStar Exchange gold participation level status, please visit this website: diablovalley.assistanceleague.org or the GuideStar Exchange.