$20,000 Donated To The ATCAA Food Bank

Sonora, CA — A large holiday donation to the Amador Tuolumne Community Acton Agency (ATCAA) Food Bank will help programs that assist locals. On November 27 the Sonora Area Foundation (SAF) presented a check to ATCAA executive director Raj Rambob, food bank director Deni Avery and board chair Lloyd Schneider at the nonprofit’s Jamestown Food Bank.

According to SAF Executive Director Darrell Slocum the donation was spurred by a $10,000 matching gift offered by Kate and Charles Segerstrom from their SAF fund in memory of Kate’s late mother, Marlee Powell, and her long-time support of ATCAA. Powell passed away on January 24, 2018 at the age of 85. You can read more about the Sonora Area Foundation and Powell from Slocum in his new blog here.

This year, monetary and food donations to ATCAA enabled the nonprofit to distribute Thanksgiving baskets to more than 2,000 families as detailed in the November 1 Newsmaker of the day here. Deni Avery, ATCAA Food Bank Director said “The holidays are a time for families to gather together for a traditional holiday meal. However, for many families in Tuolumne County, the means to afford that meal doesn’t exist. As lack of affordable housing persists and the costs of fuel, medicine and other necessities continue to soar, food budgets for retired and working families are shrinking. For more than 20 years, the Food Bank has distributed Food Baskets during the Holiday season.”

ATCAA is one of about a thousand community action agencies across the country, and is in its 37th year of delivering a wide range of programs based on community needs and available funding. ATCAA helps low-income residents get help with food, emergency shelter, weatherization and lowering energy costs. Among its other services are early childhood education through Head Start; youth and senior support; suicide prevention.

ATCCAA’s Programs and services are provided in Amador, Calaveras, Alpine, Tuolumne and Mariposa counties. Back in May the Sonora Area Foundation donated $50,000 to the ATCAA Food Bank to help keep it open and running while ATCAA was seeking alternative funding due to a federally-funded Community Services Block Grant no longer being available. The long-time funding source was key to helping cover operational costs, including staffing, which has been cut to three full and one part-time personnel. Food Bank officials note that they continue to rely on hands-on help from about 400 volunteers along with corporate and individual donations to various campaigns.

For more information about volunteering, donating or learn ways to run your own Food Drive on behalf of the Food Bank, visit ATCAA.org or call Avery at 209-984-3960 x104.

Written by Sabrina Biehl.