Demand for food baskets up markedly in Sonoma

FISH (Friends In Sonoma Helping) will see a dramatic rise in the number of Holiday Food Baskets it will on distribute Saturday, Dec. 16.

This year, some 650 people registered to receive a food basket this year – a big jump from the 400 the organization gave away last year to individuals and families in need of support during the holidays.

And while the need has risen, so have the donations.

“Donations have been phenomenal,” said Sandy Drew, chair of FISH’s food basket program. “People responded generously for the (October) fires and it’s continued.”

Drew said reasons for the increase in demand is because of the October firestorms and the number of people who couldn’t work for the two or more weeks that the fires burned.

People who still want to donate food can do so until 3 p.m. today, Friday, Dec. 15, at the Hanna Boys Center Auditorium. The baskets contain such items as fresh produce, canned goods, holiday fixings and a gift card.

The annual giveaway will be held Saturday at Hanna Boys Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Recipients had to register ahead of time in order to receive a basket.

FISH gets about half its food for the food baskets from the Scout Food Drive early in November and the Sonoma Raceway drive toward the end of November. This year the Scout drive was off by about half over recent years. But the Sonoma Raceway drive more than made up for the shortfall.

Drew thinks the Scout drive was short this year because it followed the October fires and that people were still trying to catch their breath.

“Not only did we receive food, but the people who donated to the Sonoma Raceway drive also were extremely generous with cash,” she said.

Since both the Scouts and the Sonoma Raceway drives happen prior to Thanksgiving, it gives FISH a starting point for what else it needs.

This year, FISH got a big boost from the “Food for Fines” program that the Sonoma Valley Library runs as part of the countywide program. Library patrons can donate food in lieu of a fine for overdue books. And the program continues through the end of December.

“The Food for Fines program is very successful,” Drew said. “They started it last year. It helps the library and it helps us a lot. It’s a win-win.”

Every year, the Sonoma Valley Newcomers usually takes a barrel to fill. But this year, the club asked if FISH could use cash instead.

“Cash really helps,” Drew said. “We usually end up buying from the Redwood Food Bank, Vella Cheese, General Produce and each of our recipients receives a gift card in addition to the food.”

And this year, FISH had a new place to store the food they’ve received. The group used to store the food in a volunteer’s garage but this year had a vacant storefront at the Fiesta Marketplace on Sonoma Highway.

Among the volunteers sorting the food at the Marketplace are the students in the Leadership Class at Adele Harrison Middle School. “Their advisor called to see if the students could help,” Drew said. “It’s fitting that Adele Harrison was one of the founders of FISH.”

More than 100 volunteers will be helping out at Saturday’s food distribution. “We’ve had some people who have been doing this for decades,” Drew said. “And we have about 15-to-20 new people this year.”

This is the 46th year that FISH has been distributing the holiday food baskets.

Email Bill at bill.hoban@sonomanews.com.