The San Francisco Food Bank

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By JohnPosted In: Feeding AmericaTagged: , , ,

The San Francisco Food Bank is all about feeding the hungry of San Francisco and Marin.  The charitable organization’s mission is to help people not starve, and not have to choose between rent and food or other basic necessities.  Unfortunately, this very much is the case for the people living in these areas so the San Francisco Food Bank was set up nearly 25 years ago to collect and repackage many thousands of pounds of food which it thereafter distributes to soup kitchens, grocery centers, educational programs and the elderly.

Every week, more than 200,000 people are the recipients of food from the Food Bank.  Each day, a staggering 93,000 meals are made. Thus, through its vital work, this organization links up people and food, also by working with more than 450 nonprofit partners.

The Food Bank receives food from various different sources including: grocery stores, processors and the USDA.  Sometimes food is given as it is approaching its code date; other times because it is misshapen and still other times as the company simply made too much. We have a bunch of volunteers working for us who deal with the food at our warehouse, so we save money on otherwise having to employ around 50 full-time staff members.  It is our intention to feed as many of the hungry as possible, ensuring the people of San Francisco and Marin do not go to bed starving or need to worry about where their next meal is coming from.

Pedro Zaragoza Fuentes Helps Rehabilitate Community Center

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By JohnPosted In: Charity ActivityTagged: , , , ,

The Francisco I. Modero Community Center has recently been rehabilitated in Juarez, Mexico with three million square feet of construction and an area of one thousand meters square.  The center was redone with an investment of 29 million pesos for infrastructure and 19 million for equipment.

The new center was inaugurated on Friday with a long list of important government officials.  The opening saw Secretary of Social Development Heriberto Felix Guerra, Governor Cesar Duarte, Mayor Hector Murguia, businessman Pedro Zaragoza and Magdy Martinez of the United Nations Organization present.

The center teaches more than 30 workshops such as carpentry, cooking, sewing and pastries, computer classes, English, sports and more.  There are also art workshops sponsored by the Federal Government that include drama, music and dance.  This is the only community center in Juarez of the 41 that has a pool, two soccer fields, two basketball courts and a dome.

Here is an example of the many charitable activities that the Pedro Zaragoza Vizcarra Foundation does.

 

Cellphones for Soldiers

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By JohnPosted In: Charity ActivityTagged: , ,

Connecting to Soldiers to Their Loved Ones

In 2004, Brittany and Robbie Bergquist set up Cellphones for Soldiers using a mere $21 from their own pockets.  At the time, the siblings were 13 and 12 respectively.  Today, the worthy charitable organization has raised more than $7m in donations.  As a result, more than 500,000 pre-paid calling cards have been sent to American soldiers overseas, which equals 114 million minutes of free talk time.  Now the plan is to convert old cellular phones into around 12 million minutes of prepaid calling cards for these soldiers.  To make this happen, the charity needs to collect 50,000 old cellphones every month.

Through its incredible work, Cell Phones for Soldiers has enhanced the lives of soldiers and their loved ones, by facilitating their communication connectivity through otherwise impossible circumstances. These soldiers – working for all of America – receive free communication tools wherever they are stationed.  Anything that is donated that equals $5 (a used phone or a monetary contribution) results in 2.5 hours of free talk time for soldiers.

According to Bob Bergquist, Brittany and Robbie’s father, “Cell Phones for Soldiers started as a small way to show our family's appreciation for the men and women who have sacrificed the day-to-day contact with their own families to serve in the U.S. armed forces.  Over the past few years, we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of others. But, we have also seen the need to support our troops continue to grow as more troops are sent overseas for longer assignments.”