Holiday Haulers

FOODBANK of Santa Barbara County got an avalanche of extra help this holiday season from the Holiday Haulers, a group of volunteers who helped pickup and deliver more than 10,000 pounds of food over the past two months.  The FOODBANK was greatly in need of trucks and individuals to help coordinate runs to pick up food and bring it back to the foodbank’s storage facility when Lisa and Chris Cullen of Montecito landscape came to the rescue. They helped to rally fellow businesses with a host of trucks that were already out making deliveries, performing much needed food pickups between jobs and recruiting other businesses that their company works with to donate their truck time.

Diane Hadighi, community relations manager for FOODBANK, estimated the Holiday Haulers brought in more than 10,000 pounds of food as of the first week in January. “Because we’re a nonprofit, it so helped us because we just don’t have that many staff,” she said. “They’re so helpful, and we’re blessed to have them.  They never complain and have been like elves to us!”

FOODBANK supplies many of the nonprofit organizations within Santa Barbara County with food, which includes dozens of organizations from Transition House to the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities. Foodbank is looking for donations year-round and anyone able to donate food for pickup for the Foodbank of Santa Barbara can call Steve Gonzales at 805.967.5741 x 103

Holiday Haulers Pictured, left to right, Chris and Lisa Cullen and Leana Finley of Montecito Landscape, Bob Kingston of All Around Landscape Supply and Derrick Yee of Abe Nursery. (courtesey of Montecito Landscape)

Special Thanks to the Holiday Haulers not pictured: Ken Olsen of McCormix, George Schnakenberg of Agri-Turf Supplies, Michael De Paola of Emilio's Restaurant, Phil Beaubien of Beaubien Construction, and Ron and Susie Anderson of Anderson Art Collective.

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