Nearly 50 community leaders gathered in front of Plantronics , near Costco, in Santa Cruz Friday morning for Second Harvest Food Bank ’s inaugural Fill The Bus event. Second Harvest’s co-chair Sandi Easton—a real trailblazer in the local hunger cause—welcomed the fine collection of locals, including Downtown Association E.D. Chip, Juliana Rebagliati of the City’s Planning and Community Development department, Mark Dettle of the Department of Public Works, Santa Cruz Fire Department Fire Chief Ron Oliver, and dozens of others.

Once the bus got rolling, heading to the Food Bank’s Watsonville location, Easton stood at the front of the vehicle and explained that the first-ever Fill the Bus campaign was designed to invite local leaders to learn more about the inner workings at the Food Bank.

And that it did.

After arriving at the Watsonville lair, Second Harvest titan—and Executive Director—Willie Elliot-McCrea welcomed us and offered a brisk, but informative tour of the impressive warehouse. He commented on the generous donations from Aptos’s Twin Lakes Church and pointed out the many bins filled with hundreds of loaves of bread.

As Elliot-McCrea took us deeper into the warehouse, he noted the rising need for food donations this year. He also showed off the Food Bank’s big “stars”—the new cooler and freezer. Actually, we were all invited to take a peek inside the freezer, whose temps hover right around 5 below zero. I’m a Chicagoan. It’s like going home to me, so I bravely ventured forth. Once inside, I found my breath and took note of the hundreds of frozen foods that the Food Bank had stacked on pallets.

But there was plenty more to see and hear, including talks of solar energy implementations to the warehouse and other additions. Hard to swallow, though, but illuminating nonetheless, was a hands-on exercise that forced volunteers to unpack a box a food—those given to families in need—and group items into meal options that would feed that “family” over a week’s time.

It was a fitting end to a powerful half-hour tour. So take note: every dollar you donate becomes five meals for your neighbors in need.

To volunteer, or to learn more about Second Harvest Food Bank, visit  thefoodbank.org or call 722-7110.

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