Alameda County food bank partners with vintage store to offer free totes with donations

Give a little, tote a lot.

Alameda County Community Food Bank has partnered with Oakland Vintage Mart to host a donation drive this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 222 Jefferson St. in Oakland – with the benefit of a limited edition tote bag upon donation.

The drive comes as food banks across the region face increased need for food assistance that was critically felt during the government shutdown this past fall and is only expected to grow in the coming year with additional cuts to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, said Arlan Murillo, ACCFB’s Director of Client Services.

“Needs have been growing, that why this event is so important,” Murillo said. “There’s around 20,000 community members in the county that rely on SNAP. And so the shutdown, the fear of SNAP cuts that are yet to be implemented has created a lot of fear and a lot of concerns in the larger community.”

Vanessa Murray, the owner of Narrative and founder of Oakland Vintage Market, said this year’s donation drive is more important than in years past with the cuts to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program. She said that supporting the ACCFB by hosting the food drive is her way of giving back after the community helped support her business through the pandemic.

“I went through a period of time many years ago where I was working full time and I still needed SNAP benefits,” Murray said. “I just feel like it’s super important as a business when you’re in a town like Oakland and they really show up to support you.”

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