According to the 1999 U.S. Census Bureau 24.5 percent of Davis resdients were living below the poverty level. To help locals in need, various organizations are giving back to the community. The California Aggie profiles two of them below.
Davis Food Co-op Holiday Meal
The Davis Food Co-op is hosting the 23rd Annual Holiday Meal, a free holiday dinner for the Davis community. The meal is being served at the Veteran’s Memorial Center on 14th and B Streets on Dec. 24 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
“Anyone who is in Davis is welcome,” Melanie Madden, marketing and education assistant at the Davis Co-op. “We serve ham, chicken and a great variety of vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and salad. And, of course, we serve dessert.”
There are several opportunities to volunteer for the Holiday Dinner. Desserts are always welcome for donation. Wrapped candy, nuts in the shell and 10” by 10” squares of fabric with ribbons are also needed to make party favors for the guests. Food donations may be donated on Dec. 24 at the Veteran’s Memorial Center between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
If serving the meal sounds better than preparing it, volunteers can sign up at the Co-op and use the Volunteer Sign-Up Book.
“We begin taking volunteers by the first Monday after Thanksgiving. The sooner you sign up the better. The earliest volunteer shift starts at 8 a.m. and the last shift ends at 8 p.m.,” Madden said.
Adopt-a-Family
Helping needy families is another gift one can give at Christmas. The Short Term Emergency Aid Committee (STEAC) Adopt-a-Family Program helped over 450 Davis families receive food, clothes, and gifts. To donate to a family, call the STEAC Office at 758-8435 and ask to adopt a family.
“When someone ‘adopts’ a family, they get a list of food that they need to purchase, and they also get the family’s wish-list,” said Susan Simon, Executive Director of STEAC.
The donations are to be taken to the Holiday Program Headquarters, which are located at the First Baptist Church on Russell Boulevard in West Davis.
“We need volunteers Dec. 15 to 17 because that is when people bring in the boxes of donations. We need help getting the boxes out of people’s cars and into the church,” Simon said. “Then on Dec. 20, we need volunteers to move the donation boxes back out of the church and into the cars of the recipients.”
MEGAN ELLIS can be reached at features@theaggie.org.
