Win Tickets & Backstage Passes to See Tim McGraw!

From May 3rd through May 22nd, KRTY Radio challenges you to collect as many canned goods to donate to Second Harvest Food Bank in conjunction with Second Harvest’s Share Your Lunch Campaign to help feed the children in our community.

Each can or non-perishable food item gets you closer to a pair of tickets and backstage passes for Tim McGraw!

Start collecting your cans and on Saturday, May 22nd between 12 Noon and 2 PM bring them to the KRTY booth at Safeway on Branham & Snell in San Jose.

The person who donates the most goods will be the winner… but everyone can feel great about making a difference.

What Matters to You?

Do you remember receiving a gift that really mattered to you?

For me, the gift I received that really mattered was an invitation.

The gift arrived when I was just out of school. My wife and I were in our first year of marriage, in our first apartment, living far from either of our families. We didn’t have much money, or know a lot of people. Thanksgiving was just around the corner. We felt awkward asking any of our new friends to share the holiday with us, and even more awkward making a lavish dinner for only two people. So, our grand Thanksgiving plan was to spend a day huddled in our apartment with movies and takeout.

Everything changed when we got a call from a woman we knew who lived on the other end of the bay. She invited us to her place for the Big Meal. Even though we didn't know her that well, or know who else would be there, we decided to take our chances and accept.

It turned out that we spent a truly magnificent Thanksgiving Day cooking, swapping stories, laughing, and hanging out with the oddest collection of people. There was a long-lost uncle, with beard and VW van. There was a classmate and his girlfriend. There was a friend of a friend, absent the friend that connected him. There were the two radical economic activists who lived downstairs. There was a foreign exchange student from a nearby school no one else had attended. And there were my wife and myself.

Lucky for us, our friend didn't share our reluctance to invite almost total strangers to the table. We enjoyed a wonderful holiday, and started a deep and lasting friendship.

The best thing about this gift was that it made me want to share it with others. In the (many) intervening years, my wife and I have made a practice of inviting widely for Thanksgiving. And we’ve never had a disappointing day, or spent that time with movies and takeout.

One thing I love about my work at Second Harvest is that I'm able to be a small part of a big invitation – the invitation to those who are hungry to come and eat their fill. Because of those who are willing to share what's on their table, those who are hungry can have milk and bread without cost. These are the gifts that have the power to change lives.

I'd like to know what gift you have received, that really mattered to you. Was it a bicycle or a special toy? Was it a piece of clothing or a plane ticket? Was it a gift of love? Or opportunity? Or time? Was it a meal?

I invite you to share your story by commenting below. For each comment we receive, our CEO Kathy Jackson will donate $10 to the "Share Your Story" 2009 Holiday Food and Fund drive.

Sincerely,

Bran Scott
Annual Fund and Systems Manager
Second Harvest Food Bank

Food Bank Kicks off Holiday Drive

Yesterday we kicked off the 2009 Holiday Food & Fund Drive with an event at our San Carlos Warehouse. Supervisor Carole Groom and John W. Thompson, Symantec Chairman of the Board (pictured above), drove home the importance of supporting the Food Bank and the significant role we play in the community.

This holiday season is critical. As we strive to feed more and more people in need, we are asking everyone to do what they can and to give a gift that matters – the gift of food.

Currently, more than two-thirds of callers to our Food Connection hotline are first time callers who have never before needed food assistance. Many of these people are recently-unemployed or had their work hours cut in the past year and are finding themselves unable to afford enough nutritious food for themselves and their families.

The goals for this year’s drive are to collect 10 million dollars and 1.9 million pounds of food. The drive runs through January 22nd. 

To find out how you can help, visit www.SHFB.org.

The Carolee Hazard 93 Dollar Drive Totals Over $13K

The Carolee Hazard 93 Dollar Drive (see blog post from August 26) has taken on a life of its own! As of today, more than $13,000 has been donated to the Food Bank. And the Facebook Page she set up has received comments from all over the world.

In addition, Trader Joe's in Menlo Park, the store where this amazing story began, donated over 250 pounds of food. Pictured are Carolee, her daughters and Jenni.

Lisa Fernandez of the Mercury News first covered the story and today, Carolee and Jenni graciously agreed to tell their story to a wider audience. Pictured is Carolee being interviewed by Maureen Naylor of KTVU/FOX2.

Carolee and Jenni delivering donation checks to the Food Bank's Tami Cardenas.

Zombies support the Food Bank

On August 26, hundreds of people are expected to show up for Zombie-o-Rama in downtown San Jose. This year, event organizer Dan Vado of SLG publishing has set up a food drive to compliment the Zombie Crawl and film showing of "Shaun of the Dead".

A barrel will be set up at the movie site (Starlight Cinema) as well as at Zombie-O-Rama HQ (otherwise known as the SLG Art Boutiki).

"We're all looking for ways to make it through this very hard time, so the stuff that really resonates with people is about community," Vado says. "The first rule in a zombie apocalypse is to stick together, because that's the only way to survive."

I never thought I'd find myself in a position where I wanted to thank a pack of zombies... But wow, thanks guys!

More information available on the Zombie-O-Rama blog, at Zombieorama.com and in this Mercury News article.

Photo by Josie Lepe, Mercury News

Cans for Kenny Chesney Contest with 95.3-KRTY

Win tickets and backstage passes to see Kenny Chesney in concert on July 18th, and feed hungry kids in the process!

During the month of June, local radio station 95.3 KRTY is challenging listeners to participate in their Cans for Kenny food drive, benefitting Second Harvest Food Bank's Share Your Lunch campaign.

The person who donates the most cans between June 1 and June 22 will win a pair of tickets to the concert and backstage passes to meet him!

6/16 Update: $1 = 2 cans in this contest!

KRTY will announce a winner on Monday June 29TH during the KRTY morning show with Gary & Julie.

All food collected will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties as part of their Share Your Lunch food and fund drive.

This annual campaign is aimed at feeding approximately 116,000* children in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties who rely on school meals five days a week during the school year. When school lets out for the summer, these children often go without having three nutritious meals a day and struggling parents turn to the Food Bank for solutions.

*According to California Food Policy Advocates

For details and official contest rules:

Visit KRTY’s Cans For Kenny page on their website.

To learn more about our Share Your Lunch campaign and how YOU can make a difference in your community, visit www.ShareYourLunch.net.