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Receive a presentation from staff on the results of the 2024 Counties Care Holiday Food Fight competition and recognize the efforts and generosity of Solano County employees
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Published Notice Required? Yes ____ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ____ No _X _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board receive a presentation from staff on the results of the 2024 Counties Care Holiday Food Fight competition and recognize the efforts and generosity of Solano County employees.
SUMMARY:
Since 2004, Solano County has been participating in an annual holiday food drive with Contra Costa County to raise funds for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. At the official end of the 2024 Counties Care Holiday Food Fight campaign, Solano County employees, Contra Costa employees, Solano County friends of the community and Contra Costa County friends of the community totaled a combined net donation of $113,765 (see breakdown below).
Financial breakdown of $113,765 County employee and Friends of the County donations:
n Solano County employee reported donations: $58,833
n Solano County Friends of the County reported donations: $50
n Contra Costa County employee reported donations: $54,831
n Contra Costa County Friends of the County reported donations: $0
The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano would like to recognize Solano County’s Board of Supervisors, County employees and Friends of the County for their participation, creativity and hard work in raising funds for those individuals and families in need in Solano and for their 2024 campaign donation of $58,933 (employee plus friends), and for a grand total of $789,224 donated since the first friendly food fight competition in 2004. This funding has made a huge difference in the Food Bank’s ability to support the community.
In 2012 and 2013, Solano County won the friendly food fight and held the ‘Big Apple Trophy.’ In 2014 and 2015 the trophy returned to Contra Costa. In 2016, 2017 and 2018 the trophy remained with Solano County. Contra Costa County employees broke Solano County’s three-year winning streak, taking home the Big Apple trophy for 2019. In 2020, Solano County regained control of the Big Apply trophy, and held on to it for 2021, 2022 and 2023. Solano County will hold on to the Big Apple trophy for a fifth year in a row in 2024.
As part of the 2024 Challenge, Solano County employees donated an average of $19.78 per person and Contra Costa employees donated an average of $6.37 per person.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Receiving the presentation and department awards has no impact on the County’s finances.
DISCUSSION:
The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano distributes approximately 10 million pounds of food annually throughout Solano County. Approximately 150,500 hungry people, including children and seniors, in Solano County are served by the Food Bank each month. Both perishable and non-perishable food is also provided to countless nonprofit agencies throughout the County such as food pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, senior and childcare centers, and group homes.
The first annual counties care holiday food fight challenge began in 2004 with a challenge from Contra Costa County to join them in an annual event to raise funds to support food collection and distribution efforts in both counties, as well as some friendly competition. All funds raised by employees during the annual food fights are used to benefit the residents of the respective county.
On October 22, 2024, the Solano County Board of Supervisors, after a presentation from staff and the Food Bank, extended a challenge to the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors, to participate in the annual friendly food fight challenge to competitively raise money for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano to benefit residents in both communities. The Contra Costa Board of Supervisors accepted the challenge at their Board meeting on November 5, 2024.
Solano County won the challenge in 2012 and 2013 with Contra Costa County regaining the title in 2014 and 2015. In 2016, 2017 and 2018 Solano County won the Big Apple trophy, making Solano County the only County to have won the Food Fight three years in a row. In 2019, Contra Costa County regained control of the Big Apply Trophy, breaking Solano County’s three-year winning streak. In 2020, Solano County regained control of the Big Apply trophy, and held on to it for 2021, 2022, 2023 and now again in 2024 - a five-year streak.
Additionally, since 2006, the Board of Supervisors of each county have encouraged residents of Solano and Contra Costa Counties to open their hearts and wallets to also assist the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano and its client organizations during the annual holiday food fight, thus creating the Friends of the Counties online donations. Friends of Solano County and Friends of Contra Costa County contributed $50 and $0 respectively, for a total of $50 contributed. The combined 2024 total, including County employee and Friends of the Counties, was $113,765. The net cumulative total since the first Counties Care Food Fight in 2004, including the Friends of the Counties, is $2,601,178.
Solano County Cares Holiday Food Fight was led by Melinda Sandy, Aimee Johnson, and Emily Shephard in the County Administrator’s Office. This year’s goal was to try and raise at least $20 per employee, a lofty goal, considering it had only been broken twice in the competitions twenty-one-year history. With the assistance of 26 departmental Food Drive team leaders throughout the County, that goal was missed by only $0.22, with employees raising a collective $19.78 per-person.
Below is a list of the departmental team leaders:
n Agriculture - Priscilla Yeaney and Andrina Carlsen
n Assessor / Recorder - Kelli Kay, Hannah Dahl, Camille Barrios, Michelle Metcalf, and Ven Tan
n Auditor / Controller - Christina Mota
n CAO - Melinda Sandy, Aimee Johnson, Emily Shephard, and Matthew A. Davis
n First 5 - Yuliana Moreno
n County Counsel - Theda Peck and Cynthia Gordon
n Child Support Services - Iyanna Thomas and Caroline Castillo de Robles
n Information Technology / Registrar of Voters - Nikki Lindorff and Kirsten Gilson
n District Attorney - Cheryl Tablit
n General Services - Elizabeth Dudley and Felix Penn
n H&SS Administration - Angie Mausisa and Amanda Powell
n H&SS WA SIB - Charmaine Paragas-Garcia and Esperanza Cabunoc
n H&SS, Child Welfare Services - Sarah Barksdale
n H&SS E&E - Rosemary Zalesky, Maribel Ramirez, and Valerie Saunders
n H&SS Family Health/Med Svcs - Katreena Dotson
n H&SS Behavioral Health SUDS - Genevieve Mauritz
n H&SS Public Health, ODAS - Shelly Anderson
n H&SS Public Health - Norma Limon
n Human Resources - Kelli Brook and Alexis Ga
n Library - Natasha North
n Probation - Nancy Gutierrez
n Public Defender / Alternate Public Defender - Bianca Johnson
n Resource Management - Erika Crawford
n Sheriff / Coroner - Nichole Stone
n Treasurer, Tax Collector, County Clerk - Luke Sexton
n Veterans Services - Isabel Rodriguez
All County departments participated and donated dollars in the spirit of competition and have made a significant contribution toward alleviating hunger in Solano County. The following departments will be receiving trophies based on the most dollars contributed per departmental employee:
n First Place: County Counsel, $338 / employee
n Second Place: County Administrator’s Office, $248 / employee
n Third Place: Human Resources, $110 / employee
The following departments will be receiving wood plaques based on the most dollars contributed over the past five (5) years, including the total amounts:
n Most dollars raised over the past five (5) years, large department (200+ employees), Health and Social Services, with $51,899 dollars raised
n Most dollars raised over the past five (5) years, medium department (75-199 employees), Library Services, with $33,613 dollars raised
n Most dollars raised over the past five (5) years, small department (less than 75 employees), County Counsel, with $35,442 dollars raised.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose not to receive the presentation; however, this alternative is not recommended as the Board has supported the annual counties holiday food fight challenge in the past and challenged Contra Costa County to the Food Fight in 2024.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
All Departments and the Board of Supervisors participated in the Solano County Cares Holiday Food Fight challenge with Contra Costa County.