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HOLIDAY HELPING: Toy Drives and Pet Baskets

Mail Services Collects 2,304 Pounds of Food on 2 Campuses

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Mail Services crew and 嘿嘿视频 Health executive hold food items, while standing around tables filled with food donations.
Bradley Simmons, front, interim chief executive officer and the chief operating officer of 嘿嘿视频 Medical Center, joins 嘿嘿视频 Health Mail Services personnel in showing the generosity of their colleagues who contributed to the 16th annual Holiday Food Drive. Mail Services personnel, clockwise from right front: Loren Jenkins, Arthur Johnson, Tracy Miranda, Peter Chacon, Colin Stambusky and Gregory Olsen. (Charles Casey/嘿嘿视频)

INDEX


2,304 pounds of food, delivered!

Mail Services recently wrapped up its 16th annual Holiday Food Drive on the Davis and Sacramento campuses, collecting a total of 2,304 pounds of nonperishable food for people in need.

Here are the numbers: 1,509 pounds of food gathered in outgoing mail at 嘿嘿视频 Health and 795 pounds dropped off to Mail Services at the Hopkins Services Complex in Davis.

Like all good mail personnel, the 嘿嘿视频 team 鈥 part of supply Chain Management 鈥 made sure the food got delivered, despite some pandemic-related logistical challenges.

In years past, Mail Services donated food from 嘿嘿视频 Health to and food from the Davis campus to the . This year, because of operational and staffing issues, both organizations initially turned down the food donations.

So, Mail Services staff members identified two other recipients: the in Sacramento and the .

However, on Nov. 20, as Mail Services personnel at 嘿嘿视频 Health prepared to deliver the food, they were informed that the Rose Family Creative Empowerment Center would not be able to accept the donation after all. Fortunately, by then, Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services had the staff and volunteers necessary to process the donations.

In the end, Mail Services made its deliveries to Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services and The Pantry, benefiting students in need.

2 toy drives underway

Toys for Tots on the Davis campus 鈥 Mail Services announced that it has moved up the deadline to this Friday (Dec. 4) at the request of the Marine Corps Reserve, which runs Toys for Tots in Yolo County. Mail Services handles the campus collection annually on behalf of the reserve, which asks for new and unwrapped toys for Yolo County children up to age 16. There are three ways to donate on campus:

  • Leave with outgoing mail.
  • Place in Toys for Tots blue barrels at the ; IET Storehouse, ; or Safety Services, 276 . 
  • Deliver to Mail Services, , west of Highway 113.

嘿嘿视频 Children鈥檚 Hospital Virtual Holiday Toy Drive 鈥 Donations are welcome on two platforms through Dec. 24:

  • (be sure to choose the 嘿嘿视频 Children鈥檚 Hospital shipping address at checkout).

鈥淲e invite the community to join us in making the holidays brighter for our patients and families, as this year has brought unique difficulties,鈥 said Diana Sundberg, manager of the 嘿嘿视频 Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department.

鈥淲e know this season will look very different,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e hope that our virtual toy drive will make it easy and safe for people to give. The support of the community means so much to us.鈥

Holiday Pet Baskets

Mercer Clinic Holiday Pet Baskets, given to homeless people for their pets, will soon be distributed for the 26th consecutive year, thanks to volunteer elves who share an affiliation with the 嘿嘿视频 Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. And the elves have issued their annual fundraising appeal to keep the project going.

It began in 1995, organized by hospital staff members for the benefit of homeless people and their pets who visited the , another project with 嘿嘿视频 volunteers: students and veterinarians from the School of Veterinary Medicine, and pre-veterinary undergraduates. The clinic is in Sacramento, on the grounds of the charity organization Loaves & Fishes where the Holiday Pet Baskets are distributed.

MORE INFORMATION

  • and

The holiday program still has most of its original volunteers 鈥 even those who have retired from the hospital 鈥 and newer staff members have joined in.

The pandemic has limited the volunteers鈥 ability to gather for basket-decorating, so this year鈥檚 goodies will come in bags adorned with the Mercer Clinic logo, according to VMTH retiree Eileen Samitz, who serves as co-coordinator with Becky Griffey, a VMTH employee.

The distribution will comprise 130 bags in all 鈥 100 for dogs and 30 for cats 鈥 holding toys, treats and brushes, typical of what has been given since the first year of the program.

The distribution also will include pet coats and sweaters 鈥 something the elves added to the program in 2012, offering protection from rain and cold when pets are spending winter days and nights outdoors with their people.

Donations to the Mercer Clinic Holiday Pet Baskets and Winter Pet Coat and Sweater Program are tax-deductible and can be made as follows:

  •  (through the 嘿嘿视频 Giving website)
  • Check 鈥 Payable to 鈥淯C Regents-Mercer Clinic Holiday Pet Baskets.鈥 Mail to the 嘿嘿视频 School of Veterinary Medicine, Office of the Dean, P.O. Box 1167, Davis 95617-1167, Attention: Mercer Clinic Holiday Pet Baskets.

For more information, contact co-coordinator Samitz by email or phone, 530-756-5165.

Stuff the Bus with food and more

Drawing of Santa Claus driving a Unitrans bus with "Stuff the Bus" as the destination sign.

Organized by Unitrans and the Davis Food Co-op, this fourth annual event will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, in the parking lot of

Stuff the Bus this year is more than a food drive. Donations will go to the ASUCD Pantry, which assists students in need and has specifically asked for new shampoo, conditioner, body wash and bars of soap. 

The Pantry also provided a list of suggested food donations: canned or boxed meals; gluten-free grains like quinoa and buckwheat; canned fruit and vegetables; canned or dry beans; canned soup; low-sugar cereal; rice; whole grain pasta 鈥 and please don鈥檛 forget the peanut butter and similar items.

The bus to be stuffed is not just any bus 鈥 it鈥檚 a Davis transportation icon, a Unitrans vintage London double-decker that has not been on the road since the pandemic struck in March. People are welcome to climb the stairs to the bus鈥檚 upper deck 鈥 a treat for all ages.

Each of the first 50 donors will receive a Unitrans pass good for 10 free rides. For donors鈥 convenience, the Davis Food Co-op will offer prepacked bags of groceries and other items at the checkout stands 鈥 bags you can buy to help Stuff the Bus.

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