Food Pantry Holiday Makeover

Calling all community supporters of food pantries and soup kitchens! Community Action North Bay (CAN-B) has been named a finalist in Walmart’s “Food Pantry Holiday Makeover” to compete with 150 food pantries across the nation to win a share of $1.5 million in funding for a $20,000 grant to feed those in need in Solano County.

If CAN-B is one of 75 food programs across the country who receives the most votes by the public through its holiday giving campaign, Solano County wins! According to Executive Director, Ruth Matz, ”CAN-B’s Healthy Choices Food Program serves 2,500 individuals each month and is in need of extra storage for fresh fruits and vegetables. Winning this competition would be a godsend to those we serve who are on extremely low incomes.”

The Healthy Choices Food program consists of a weekly food pantry for seniors and those living with disabilities, as well as daily distribution of emergency food provisions to those in need. In addition, the program distributes food to the un-sheltered homeless, with no place to cook three days a week. Impacts on the local community are significant in that the specific area served has been declared a food desert by the USDA. This outreach program not only helps those on extremely low and very low incomes extend their limited resources but also introduces them to healthy food products that are not available in their neighborhood markets and to which they may not have ever been exposed. The Healthy Choices food program also provides recipes which can be prepared simply by using the ingredients they receive in their bags.

Consider taking this challenge by marking your calendars for voting, which opens on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 12:01 am EST and ends Friday, Dec. 12 at 11:59 pm EST at: www.walmart.com/holidaymakeover. Winners will be announced Monday, Dec. 15.

Walmart’s “Food Pantry Holiday Makeover” provides funding for infrastructure improvements or equipment purchases to make it easier for the winning organizations to help hungry families in their local community. CAN-B will use the funding to expand refrigeration and storage as well as purchase additional fresh produce.

You can vote for CAN-B every day and it’s easy! Just go to www.walmart.com/holidaymakeover and search for pantries in California. When you see “Fairfield Suisun Community Action Council Inc.” please take just a moment to click VOTE.

If you have questions or need additional information, please send an email to Keetra@canbinc.org.