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Volunteers of America Bay Area 21st Annual Operation Good Neighbor Event
Volunteers and donations to provide 2000 Thanksgiving food baskets to Bay Area needy

Volunteers of America Bay Area will hold its 21st Annual Operation Good Neighbor Holiday Food Basket event on Saturday, November 18th to provide Thanksgiving food baskets to 2000 seniors, disabled persons and disadvantaged families throughout the Bay Area.

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 roaster, stuffing, potatoes, green beans, cranberry and other holiday items, enough to feed a family of four.

Volunteers of America Bay Area’s CEO John Bailey states “A holiday without a meal is not an occasion for celebration. Many people in our community lack the means to provide a Thanksgiving meal for their families.” Bailey continues “It is our mission to provide a helping hand to the community and this is one of the many ways we touch people’s lives”. Each year our goal is to reach even more people than the previous year, this year we will provide food boxes to 2000 families, feeding over 10,000 people throughout the Bay Area.

Corporations have rallied around the program this year with in kind support and sponsorships coming from Safeway, Whole Foods, Paramount Export Company, XPEDX, Ritz Foodservice, East Bay Express, Cushman and Wakefield of California, East Bay Community Foundation, Peet's Coffee, and Krispy Kreme.

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 and delivery of food boxes.

When: Saturday, November 18, 2006, 8:00AM
Where: 1750 Harbor Bay Parkway (off North Loop Road), Alameda, CA 94502

Volunteers of America Bay Area (VOABA) is a local affiliate of the national Volunteers of America nonprofit organization. Our mission is to assist, treat and help empower people to transform the quality of their lives and expand their opportunities. VOABA serves over 27,000 people each year through its programs and services.

For more information about Operation Good Neighbor, please contact Kerry Beuthin at (510) 473-0500 ext 222 or visit www.voaba.org.

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