(SACRAMENTO, CA) – The California State Fair's first ever SMUD Cares at the Fair Giving Monday was a resounding success! According to Elk Grove Food Bank, which received all of the donated food, a total of 12,572 lbs. of food was collected in only 4 hours. This event was part of the Fair's commitment to give back to the community. Better yet, another SMUD Cares at the Fair Giving Monday will happen on July 23.
Here how the food drive works: on Mondays, Fairgoers donate 3 non-perishable food items (per person) between 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. and receive free admission to the California State Fair. The food is collected and given to the Elk Grove Food Bank, which is in need of food donations during the summer months.
"The Elk Grove Food Bank feels the event went very well and truly appreciates the community's support in giving food to feed the hungry," said Kim Gillin, Executive Assistant from Elk Grove Bank. "We beat our goal of collecting 10,000 lbs. of food. We are looking forward to next Monday."
SMUD Cares at the Fair Giving Monday would not have been possible without the partnership of local utility company SMUD, which partnered with the CA State Fair to cover the cost of admission.
"This promotion aligned perfectly with what SMUD stands for as a community-owned utility, and we're ecstatic about how succesful it was," said Erica Manuel with SMUD. "We're looking forward to collecting even more donations next week to help those families struggling with food insecurity."
"This is what the California State Fair is all about – giving back to our community”, says Deputy General Manager, Margaret Mohr, “Thank you to all of the Fair fans who donated more than what was required to make this event so successful.”
The next SMUD Cares at the Fair Giving Monday takes place on July 23. For a list of top items the Elk Grove Food Bank needs click here.
