Alameda, CA --  November 10, 2005 - Volunteers of America Bay Area will hold its 20th Annual Operation Good Neighbor Holiday Food Basket event on Saturday, November 19th to provide Thanksgiving food baskets to 2000 seniors, disabled persons and disadvantaged families throughout the Bay Area during the holiday season.

The Operation Good Neighbor program raises the spirits of individuals and families during the holidays by giving food baskets to those who are alone, on fixed incomes or unable to get assistance.  Sixty-five community based and social service organizations throughout the Bay area provide referrals to Volunteers of America Bay Area indicating how many baskets they need for their clients. Baskets will include a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, green beans, cranberry and fresh fruit, enough to feed a family of four.

Corporations have rallied around the program this year with in kind support and sponsorships coming from Safeway, Paramount Export, XPEDX, Bay Area Council, East Bay Express, Peet's Coffee, Svenhards, Krispy Kreme, Fowler Packaging, and the Oakland A's.  Volunteers of America Bay Area's CEO John Bailey states "the outpouring of support from corporations and individuals is overwhelming. The need is greater than ever this year and we are very fortunate to have the community backing us on our efforts to help people during the holiday season." Each year we strive to reach even more people than the previous year, this year distribution has increased over 30%.

Assembling 2000 boxes of food is no small task, more than 200 volunteers help with a variety of tasks including administrative support, packaging and loading of food boxes. 

When: Saturday, November 19, 2005, 8:00AM
Where:  1750 Harbor Bay Parkway (off North Loop Road), Alameda, CA 94502