IRVINE : Shoppers Asked to Help Fill Food Bank

Grocery shoppers today will be asked to buy a few extra items to fill the dwindling cupboards of an Irvine food bank.

About 120 student volunteers from Irvine schools will be outside major grocery stores from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to hand out lists of food and toiletry items needed by Irvine Temporary Housing’s food bank. Shoppers can pick up a list on their way in and drop off the items on their way out to contribute to the food bank’s third annual fall food drive.

The goal of the food drive is to collect about 400 bags of groceries and toiletries, said Louise Wagner, Irvine Temporary Housing’s office manager. The goal is four times the amount of food collected last year, she said.

The food and supplies would benefit about 100 families, she said.

Student clubs from Woodbridge, Irvine and University high schools, as well as Christ College in Irvine, will be participating.

The agency, funded by the city and state as well as private donations, temporarily houses families in the Irvine area and supplies food and utility vouchers to families experiencing temporary financial difficulties. Some of the families served by the agency are those of servicemen stationed in the Middle East, Wagner said.