CAN-tree Collection Holiday Food Drive

The
Ventura County holiday season will shine a little brighter as The Collection at
RiverPark hosts the second annual CAN-tree Collection food drive from Dec. 6-8.
The fun-filled three-day event will support FOOD Share’s Tackle Hunger
campaign, in which business, community and faith-based teams collect canned
goods and build their own “can-trees” as part of their fight against hunger.

With a goal of 100 can-trees this year – each
built from approximately 800 cans – teams will  construct 5-foot-tall
can-trees to be showcased throughout the weekend. The
centerpiece of the spectacular display will be The Collection’s own can-tree
made of 10,000 cans donated by Whole Foods Market, and designed and assembled
by students of ACE Charter High School.

Ventura County moving and storage
leader PODS® will help carry the weight of the canned good
donations; franchise owner Steve Yapp has donated PODS® containers
to transport more than 35,000 canned goods to the event site for teams to build
with. Local B95.1 radio hosts will broadcast live from a transparent Plexiglass
PODS® container, encouraging the community to donate cans and build
their own can-trees.

The event underscores FOOD
Share’s slogan, “one neighborhood at a time,” reflecting the food bank’s philosophy
that if each neighborhood held a small food drive, hunger in Ventura County
could be eliminated. The can-tree build will be held over three days from 10:30
a.m. to 5 p.m. each day: businesses will construct their can-trees on Friday,
neighborhood teams, families and faith-based groups will build theirs on
Saturday and Sunday. The dining and shopping destination will also add to the
holiday ambiance throughout the weekend when event-goers will have the
opportunity to take photos with Santa and enjoy festive tunes sung by holiday
carolers. Retailers will also get in on the holiday fun when Color Me Mine
hosts an ornament-making workshop and Panera Bread invites patrons to indulge
in some “sweet creativity” at its cookie decorating station. 

“Our Tackle Hunger campaign comes
at the most critical time during the year when we need the most support from
our community, and we hope this signature event will give us the boost we need
to help serve our hungry friends,” said Bonnie Weigel, president and CEO of
FOOD Share. “This year, the need has heightened, as food insecurity among
children and seniors is steadily increasing. If everyone in our community
donated a small amount to the hungry population, together we could put an end
to this hardship.”

Donations to FOOD Share will be
accepted all weekend. For every $25 donated, the regional food bank will be
able to provide $125 worth of food to families in need. This year, FOOD Share’s
goal is to raise $150,000 in donations throughout the holiday season to provide
8 million meals – an equivalent to 10 million pounds of food – per year.

Last year, more than 57,000 pounds of food were collected, as well
as $13,500 in monetary donations for the inaugural Can-Tree Collection event.

According to a 2013 study by Feeding America, the nation’s largest
hunger-relief organization, nearly 102,400 people in Ventura County do not know
where they will find their next meal; only 74,500 seek FOOD Share’s assistance
through its 162 pantry partners per month.

“No one deserves to go hungry,
especially around the holidays,” said Leticia Wilson, marketing director for
The Collection. “Our first CAN-tree Collection event was a huge success and
this year we hope to inspire more teams to join us in our fight against hunger
in Ventura County.”