PALMDALE – The City of Palmdale’s South Antelope Valley Emergency Services (SAVES) food and shelter program set a goal of raising 50,000 pounds of food this year in honor of the City’s 50th anniversary.
Last week, SAVES reached its first milestone by collection its first 10,000 pounds of food in its “50,000 Pounds @50” Food Drive campaign.
“The response from the community is inspiring and could not be coming at a better time since we are still waiting to hear from one of our federal grants,” said SAVES Coordinator Patricia Morales. “The food has been coming as steadily as it has been going out. This is truly the case of the community responding to the needs of its residents.”
SAVES has partnered with organizations and residents in the Antelope Valley to reach the goal of 50,000 pounds of food. Organizational partners include the United States Postal Service, the Palmdale School District which is planning a food drive in the fall, Target, US Bank, Mulligan Family Fun Center, Mormon Helping Hands, Westside Union School District and Keller Williams.
AV residents may participate in two upcoming events to help the food drive, including:
Keller Williams Red Day. Participants may bring non-perishable food items on Thursday, May 10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Keller Williams, located at 1401 West Rancho Vista Blvd., Palmdale.
Stamp Out Hunger food drive. On Saturday, May 12, the United States Postal Service will hold this annual event. Residents are encouraged to leave non-perishable food items at their mail box for the carriers to pick up. A portion of items collected in Palmdale will be donated to SAVES.
Residents are also encouraged to participate in the “50,000 Pounds @50” Food Drive campaign by bringing non-perishable food items to SAVES, located at 1002 East Ave. Q-12 in Palmdale, formerly the Palmdale Senior Center.
Tax deductible donations may be made to SAVES through the Palmdale Community Foundation (Tax ID #95-4669404.)
“If you or your group is interested in hosting a food drive for SAVES, please call us at 661-267-5191 and we’ll be glad to work with you,” added Morales.
The City of Palmdale’s SAVES program has been successfully providing a practical and caring approach to serving people in need since 1983. During the 2010/2011 fiscal year, SAVES was able to provide 92,547 meals to families, 17,829 meals to seniors, 2,807 units of bread and bakery, and 433 motel nights to displaced families and emancipated youths. In addition, during the 2011 Holiday season, SAVES provided 108 Thanksgiving baskets, 185 holiday baskets and 348 toys to children.
For more information, call SAVES Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. at 661-267-5191.
(Information via press release from the City of Palmdale.)