Sowing Seeds for Life, the La Verne-based food bank that provides food, water, clothing and a variety of services to some 6,000 people a month in the East San Gabriel Valley, has learned it will be a recipient of Vons’ month-long “Help End Hunger” initiative.
From July 7 through Aug. 3, customers at Vons and Vons Pavilions stores throughout Southern California can either donate non-perishable items or purchase $5 bags of grocery bags filled with pasta, tuna and all kinds of food items. Those bags are distributed to food banks and other charities for the needy, mostly through the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.
Bill Drayer, the manager of the Vons at Foothill and Wheeler in La Verne, has informed Glendora resident Vicki Brown, CEO and founder of Sowing Seeds for Life, that her charitable organization will be receiving all of the bags from his store as well as some of the bags collected by the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.
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“You will be getting what we sell, so we need pickups,” Drayer said in an email to Brown this week, “and we have more than 100 already.”
Sowing Seeds for Life conducts three food pantry giveaways per month, two on the first and third Wednesday of every month from 3-5 p.m. and one on the last Saturday of the month from noon-3 p.m. The food pantries are held in the DPI Labs parking lot at 1350 Arrow Highway in La Verne. Brown is also CEO and president of DPI Labs, an engineering and manufacturing aerospace company.
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“Oh my goodness, this is a miracle,” said Brown in her response to Drayer. “Did you know that we ran out of food last Wednesday by 3:45?! We were scrambling, looking in every corner, to get more food out there for our clients.”
This is the third annual hunger drive of its kind, with Vons partnering with The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, ABC7 and a number of sponsors to alleviate hunger throughout Southern California.
It is estimated that more than 1.7 million people, including 400,000 children, are experiencing hunger in Los Angeles County.
Drayer said he has challenged Brian McNerney of the La Verne Chamber of Commerce to get local businesses to come out and buy 100 bags. McNerney said local companies will be hearing from him.
“It’s easy,” Drayer said. “They come in, buy 100 bags, and we give them a receipt for a tax write-off. And Sowing Seeds for Life gets the bags.”
“Let’s together knock out hunger. The challenge is on.”
