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SU N DAY, NOV E M BE R 29, 2 0 2 0
Food for comfort
Local Foodbank volunteer shares importance of food security during holidays
Donation window open for toy, food drive By MITCHELL WHITE NEWS-PRESS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
The Santa Barbara City Fire Department is once again participating in the annual Season of Hope Toy and Food Drive, which will benefit the Unity Shoppe. While in typical years all city fire stations would be open to receive donations, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and in efforts to keep fire crews safe, items will only be collected at four city fire stations, said Yoli McGlinchey, emergency services manager for the city. Residents are encouraged to donate toys and non-perishable food items through Dec. 18. Each station will have two collection boxes for new, unwrapped toys, as well as store bought, new, unopened non-perishable food, Ms. McGlinchey said. “With the many challenges we have had this year, the collection of toys and non-perishable food is critical to assist those in our community that are struggling from loss of jobs and homes,” she said in a statement. Toys can be dropped off between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven
COURTESY PHOTOS
A group of Foodbank volunteers load the trunk of another volunteer delivering food to homes during COVID-19. From left, Debbie Fleming, Tom Beland, Cathay Oliverson and Mia Weber load up food.
By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Many individuals never thought they would need to depend on a food bank to put dinner on the table. However, with the economic recession from the pandemic and the high unemployment numbers, reliance on services such as Foodbank of Santa Barbara County and other food distribution agencies has increased. With that being said, Debbie Fleming is here to say that it’s OK, and people like her are ready to serve, especially over this holiday season. Ms. Fleming has been a volunteer at Foodbank of Santa Barbara County for two years now, following a nearly 30-year career at UCSB working in student services and
affairs and reaching the position of assistant vice chancellor of student affairs. “I really just jumped in with both feet and tried almost everything they (Foodbank) offer,” she told the News-Press. “They have so many different things you can do, which was one of the things that attracted me to it, seeing all the aspects of feeding the community, from picking the food to distributing it to packaging it up.” Ms. Fleming volunteered both pre-COVID and post-COVID, and said, “The amount of food we’re giving out is phenomenal.” Foodbank of Santa Barbara County saw an increase in service countywide, both for the amount of food distributed and for the number of people served, at about double or Please see VOLUNTEER on A3
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Cleaning up the coastline Local nonprofit on a mission to address recent boat crashes By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
After cleaning up a mediumsized boat that had crashed into the shoreline between East Beach and Hammonds Beach in November, local nonprofit Heal the Ocean believes it’s time for some change. The crashing waves on Butterfly Beach distributed the broken parts over a half mile of the shoreline over the course of two weeks, creating a hazard for beachgoers. However, the mess couldn’t be cleaned up sooner due to the “twoweek rule,” which says that if a
boat lands on the beach, no one can salvage it, touch it or move anything until the owner has a chance to salvage it themselves. After two weeks, unless the boat owner has insurance to pay for the cleanup, it’s up to members of the public to clean it all up. On Nov. 11, Heal the Ocean, with funding by the Johnson Ohana Foundation, paid for MarBorg Industries to bring in a crew and heavy equipment to remove the fractured boat. The task took 12 crew members, an equipment operator, a CAT Excavator, a roll-off driver and truck and a semi-low-bed-andPlease see boat on A6
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Debbie Fleming, a Foodbank volunteer of two years, said she believes food is such a universal need and provides a sense of comfort, which is why she volunteers to help those in need.
days a week at the following fire stations: Station 1, at 121 W. Carrillo St.; Station 4, at 19 N. Ontare Road; Station 5, at 2505 Modoc Road; and Station 6, at 1802 Cliff Drive. This year’s collection will benefit the Unity Shoppe, a local nonprofit which helps struggling families to put food on their table and clothes on their back. Last week, Unity Shoppe Founder Barbara Tellefson died from a terminal illness. She also served as the president and director of operations for Unity Shoppe. Unity Shoppe is currently in need of $5.5 million to complete the establishment of its physical imprint. Before her passing, Ms. Tellefson made a final pledge of the first $500,000 toward the goal. Residents who would like to honor Ms. Tellefson’s pledge can make donations at www. unityshoppe.org or by calling Pat Hitchcock, director of donor relations at Unity Shoppe, at 805979-9511. For more information on the toy and food drive, please call 805564-5711.
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