In 2016, Second Harvest Food Bank (SHFB) purchased a new building on faith, knowing that the building would allow us to expand our reach in the community and continue to feed those in need efficiently. We moved into the new facility on June 1, 2018, and have continued to expand our impact. We no longer have to turn away fresh food products, frozen items and produce because we have more than enough refrigeration to store it. We can efficieintly receive large truckloads of product thanks to our docks and the ability to pull product out with forklifts instead of pallet jacks. Over the last two years, we have added additional mobile fresh sites, increased our Food 4 Thought presence and our food pantry partners. We are also now able to look at alternate ways to provide food into schools and senior centers daily, all because we stepped out on faith and took a chance. We are inviting you to join us in our mission by sponsoring our 9th Annual Empty Bowls Benefit on Saturday, April 25, 2019. This year's event will highlight what we have done since purchasing our new facility and the positive impact it has had on the community. Empty Bowls will also serve as our “kick-off” for a capital campaign to help SHFB pay down the debt incurred with the purchase and renovations of the new facility. This will help to free up money to purchase healthy food options like protein rich meats and a variety of nut butters as well as fresh produce and dairy.

We are humbly asking for the help of our business community to ensure that this year's event is our most successful yet. By donating your products and services to our live or silent auctions, you help ensure that we can feed the need in our community each day. Please consider donating a raffle basket of your wares or gift certificates. Other ideas from years past include donatios of sporting event tickets, time shares, and experiences that only your business can provide. The Central Valley has so much to offer and we want to help advertise your business to people who may not be familiar with it. Each donation is not only a tax write off for you and your business but it also helps to ensure that people are not going without the vital necesseity of food.

   As one of our valued donors, you will receive these benefits:

·         Your name and donation included in the Empty Bowls program

·         Your name and logo on the silent auction signage, and the live auction information slip in the programs

·         Your business name on our website with a link to your website or email address

With the completion of our new facility, we at Second Harvest Food Bank promised our donors we would continue to increase the amount of food we provide to the community. We are doing our part daily to ensure we keep that promise, and we are proud to have you join us as a partner in that goal. Each day we are looking at new and innovative ways to keep food moving freely into the community, inviting new partner agencies to join our team, and expanding our Mobile program, all thanks to the support we receive from events like Empty Bowls. Please use the enclosed Empty Bowls Sponsorship form to join us in our mission and send, fax, or email it to Jessica Vaughan by April 1, 2020. Feel free to contact Jessica Vaughan at jvaughan@secondharvest.org with any questions you may have about this opportunity.