‘Giving Tuesday’ gives Foodbank of SB County a much-needed boost
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Usually, 'Giving Tuesday' happens the week after Thanksgiving. But this year, it arrived about six months early.
Known as 'Giving Tuesday Now' around the world, a second 'Giving Tuesday' took place May 5 to encourage people to donate to people and organizations in need during the coronavirus crisis.
The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County is taking advantage and getting some much-needed donations.
Spokesperson Judith Smith-Meyer says the organization has received about $30,000 in donations on Tuesday alone.
All of it is needed. Feeding families throughout the County has been costly.
“We expect to spend, in the next two months, $60,000, $60 to $80,000, just on produce," Smith-Meyer said.
She also estimates that the Foodbank has distributed nearly 3 million pounds of food in less than two months.
“That’s just a degree of need that we’ve never encountered before,” Smith-Meyer said. “So we are having to supplement donations with much more purchased food than we normally would.”
There was evidence of thinning food supply at the Westside Boys and Girls Club in Santa Barbara, which had no produce to give to families on Tuesday.
“Today was probably one of our lowest and one of our smallest loads that had been dropped from the Foodbank,” club director Jesse Gonzalez said. “[Produce is] one of the things the families look forward to the most in receiving, when we do the food distributions. So hopefully, being able to get some produce for our families would be a huge help.”
Donations like the ones coming in Tuesday help the Foodbank buy enough food to properly fill all distribution sites. So far, the non-profit is working hard to meet the challenge.
Smith-Meyer says the Foodbank will continue to do so until it is no longer necessary. The demand for food is likely still months away from a big decline.
“As the economy slowly reopens, it takes a while for people to really get back on their feet and be able to meet all of their needs and make all their ends meet every month," she said.
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