SPONSORED
This holiday season, 250 families in the Western Addition will receive a box brimming with the makings of a fresh, healthy holiday meal. And it’ll happen thanks to the care and commitment of Collective Impact, the neighborhood-based nonprofit behind the Mo’MAGIC Holiday Food Box program.
“Sitting down at the table together is really important – it keeps families healthy and connected. That’s why we put so much effort into our Western Addition food boxes each year,” says Mo’MAGIC’s executive director, Brittany Ford. “For families living in SROs and low-income housing units, these boxes are a wonderful reason – and way – to celebrate together.”
Since the Holiday Food Box program is a vital way for Mo’MAGIC to address the lack of access the hundreds of families living in SROs and public housing units have to turkeys and fresh, organic produce during the holidays, logistical planning for the annual homegrown program starts each spring. Volunteers are identified, partners are confirmed, and together the Collective works with 13 different housing communities to get families signed up to receive the boxes and ensure the program truly serves their needs.
2019 will be Bi-Rite’s eighth year as a partner, and it’s one of the most meaningful ways we live our community values. We’re able to donate many of the fixings, working with our local producers to source the same nutritious produce, dairy, and poultry products you find on our Market shelves. Boxes include fresh organic greens, potatoes, onions, carrots, citrus, local eggs, and chicken stock. Free-range, non-GMO turkeys are ordered from Mary’s in February, so they can be raised specifically for the Western Addition families. And many of our staff volunteer over several days, alongside members of fellow partner Kaiser Permanente and community volunteers, to sort and pack the boxes. The meals are then delivered directly to the families at their housing communities by volunteers from San Francisco Police Department.
“The act of volunteering throughout November and December is an incredibly important, fulfilling part of our Bi-Rite traditions,” explains Rachel Kiichli, Bi-Rite’s community and social responsibility manager. “Nearly 40 Bi-Rite staffers spent over 130 hours getting healthy holiday food to our neighbors in Western Addition and to our other San Francisco nonprofit partners last year. This year we hope to increase those numbers, ultimately serving even more San Franciscans.”
The plan for this year’s Mo’MAGIC Healthy Holiday Food Boxes is to feed more than 1,000 people. And you can be part of the magic. To help make healthy, happy, delicious holidays possible, visit collectiveimpact.org or our other nonprofit partners, freetheneed.org and gobblegobblegive.org. Or reach out to us anytime at community@biritemarket.com.
Bi-Rite, the food we serve conveys dignity, respect, and community.”
While donating your personal leftovers might not be realistic, perhaps donating your time to feed others is. St. Anthony’s is always looking for volunteers to serve nourishing meals in their Dining Room: stanthonysf.org/volunteer.
Sarah Holt is the director of marketing and community at the Bi-Rite Family of Businesses.
Edible San Francisco relies on the support from advertising partners like Bi-Rite Family of Businesses who share our vision and want to see the Bay Area’s local food community grow and flourish.
