Press Release – For Immediate Release
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Contact: Kathleen Lazor Woodcock – Director of Development and Communications
St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin County
kwoodcock@vinnies.org
(415) 454-3303 ext. 17
(415) 454-3406 (fax)
The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin County is celebrating its 40th year hosting Christmas Eve and Christmas day lunches and dinners for Marin’s hungry neighbors. Vinnies Free Dining room has consecutively served meals more than 14,600 days feeding Marin’s low-income families, seniors, veterans, and homeless neighbors. “Over the past year and a half, we have witnessed even greater food insecurity in our community. Throughout covid, we have been serving “to-go” breakfasts and lunches every single day for our hungry neighbors,” explains Kathleen Woodcock, the Society’s Director of Development and Communications. “We are currently serving more than 500 meals a day. Vinnies can do this through financial donations from our generous supporters and our incredible volunteers, some of whom have been serving meals in our Free Dining Room since we opened in 1981! We have never closed our kitchen since opening our Free Dining Room 40 years ago. St. Vincent de Paul is here to ensure that no one in Marin County ever has to go hungry.”
On Friday, December 24th at 11:00 our Free Dining Room will begin distributing gift bags including cold weather gear, backpacks, and toiletry kits. There will also be gifts for the children. We will serve “to-go” lunches and dinners from 11:00-1:00. Our holiday meal will include tri-tip steak and sides dishes.
On Christmas Day, we will be serving to-go holiday ham lunches and dinners, and all the fixings, from 11:00am to 1:00pm. Anyone in need of a free holiday meal is welcome.
If you are interested in providing food for these two Christmas events, you may bring any type of fresh or frozen meat or produce to 820 B Street in San Rafael. Drivers can pull into the loading zone in front of the Dining Room and give their meal donations to a volunteer between 6:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., seven days a week, throughout the year. We need food donations all year round.
Since 1946, the St. Vincent de Paul Society has provided Marin County residents with a diverse menu of resources to help overcome life’s new, unexpected, or ongoing challenges.
For information about donating food, please call Kathleen Woodcock at 454-3303 ext.17.
Together we are ending hunger, poverty, and homelessness in Marin County. Merry Christmas!
