SacFoodies

Sacramento Kings and Sierra Nevada Partner to Fight Food Insecurity with a “Dankful” New IPA

by SacFoodies

By: Liz Conant

Sierra Nevada Dankful IPA

There’s nothing the SacFoodies like more than enjoying a drink that gives back. So, when we heard the good news about a new partnership between the Sacramento Kings and Sierra Nevada to fight food insecurity with the release of a hoppy new beer, we were all in.

Here are the details: Earlier this year, Sierra Nevada unveiled a new program centered around the release of their Dankful IPA, pledging $1 million dollars to nonprofits nationwide to support and help raise awareness for work occurring in local communities. As part of this program, Sacramento nonprofit Sol Collective will receive $25,000 from Sierra Nevada and an additional $10,000 donation from the Kings for food boxes to be distributed to area families. The Kings will also provide volunteers for food box assembly and distribution as part of the team’s annual Season of Doing Good.  

Committed to taking arts, culture and educational programming to youth since its establishment, Sol Collective had to close its doors and move online in early March. Since then, they have pivoted their work to meet the immediate needs of the community, distributing food boxes, personal protective equipment and garden starters to local families. The funds donated by both Sierra Nevada and the Kings will help the organization to ramp up the distribution of Sol CARE food boxes, allowing them to keep serving those in need into the critical Fall and Winter months. For more information, visit Kings.com.

Sacramento State Fights Food Insecurity with Expanded Food Pantry

by SacFoodies

by Laurel Harrison

Last month, Sacramento State’s ASI (Associated Students, Inc.) officially opened its expanded Food Pantry, taking the next step to serve students faced with food insecurity. The newly-expanded pantry is three times larger than the original facility, has twice the number of shelving units, and has a commercial-size refrigerator for storing produce and perishable items. 

“We are seeing an 80 percent increase in users this year over last year, and we’re feeding more than 10,000 people, which includes family members that students share their food with,” said Reuben Greenwald, ASI’s director of Student Engagement & Outreach. “With our new Food Pantry, we will be able to serve more students and add refrigerated items and fresh produce to our list of offerings.”  

Sacramento State students can use their school ID to visit the pantry weekly and spend points on food and toiletries. In addition to the Food Pantry, ASI will operate an outdoor Pop-Up Pantry several times a month to give students access to fresh produce. 

College students across the U.S. face food insecurity, and it makes us proud to see the Sac State community rising up to combat the issue. Thank you to the Sac State ASI and director Reuben Greenwald for leading the charge and making a difference for students facing food insecurity in our community! 

To learn more about the expanded ASI Food Pantry, or to sign up as a volunteer, visit the Food Pantry website here.