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The food drives held each fall on campus have taken on additional importance this year as members of the UC Davis community face uncertainty over whether federally funded food assistance will continue, and there are numerous ways for faculty and staff to help.

The first is Supply Chain Management’s annual Mail Services Holiday Food Drive, now in its 20th year, on both the Davis and Sacramento campuses. Just leave non-perishable food donations with the outgoing mail in your office, and Mail Services will deliver it to The Pantry on the Davis campus and The Pantry at UC Davis Health on the Sacramento campus.

Bargain-minded shoppers can get in on the donation drive, too: When Aggie Surplus opens for later this week, it will offer a discount for anyone who brings items to donate.

Aggie Surplus will be open for in-person shopping 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday and Friday (Nov. 6 and 7), and anyone who brings in one non-perishable food item will receive a 10% discount on their purchase. Bring in five items and that discount jumps to 25%, with a maximum discount of $100.

Others may find themselves unexpectedly participating in a food drive later this month as Transportation Services accepts donations to The Pantry as a way to clear parking citations and invoices on the Davis campus Nov. 12-21.

The number of items that must be donated to downgrade a citation to a warning varies depending on the severity: For example, four items for a $17 no-permit invoice, eight items for a $64 no-permit citation and 24 items for a $190 delinquent citation.

A complete guide — including suggested shopping lists for each level — is .

Last year’s Transportation Services drive was the largest donation drive in the history of The Pantry, and officials say they are hoping to collect even more food this year.

Additionally, the LGBTQIA Resource Center is hosting a food drive through the month of November. Just bring non-perishable food items to the center’s front desk and they will be distributed to students.  

Gift baskets for pets

Another aid program continuing this holiday season is the Mercer Veterinary Clinic’s holiday pet baskets, which provide toys, treats, canned food and a brush for pets of people who are homeless. 

Each month, UC Davis veterinary students, supervised by volunteer veterinarians from UC Davis and other agencies, hold a free clinic on the Loaves and Fishes campus in Sacramento. The Mercer Veterinary Clinic provides free exams, vaccinations, parasite medications and referrals for pets of people experiencing homelessness.

Undergraduate students volunteer at the clinic to distribute free coats and sweaters for pets throughout the year, and on Dec. 13 they’ll also distribute 130 holiday gift baskets, for which .

“For many of Mercer Clinic clients, their pets are their only family, and provide them with love, warmth and joy,” said Eileen Samitz, a retired staffer who helped start the gift basket program with coworkers at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. “For some, their pets have helped them avoid depression and substance abuse. So, the holiday pet baskets with pet toys and treats bring these folks and their pets some holiday cheer.” 

This will be the clinic’s 31st year distributing holiday gift baskets.

Samitz said the year-round pet coat and sweater program — which distributed more than 600 articles of clothing last year — is also important because most homeless shelters do not allow pets indoors.

Donations can be made to the holiday pet basket and pet coat/sweater programs:

• By making a check out to UC Regents (please write “Mercer Pet Baskets” in the memo area) and mailing to: UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Office of Advancement, P.O. Box 1167, Davis, CA 95617

Read more about the Mercer Veterinary Clinic in this 2023 article.

Local aid rises as government funding uncertain

Other agencies in the area are responding to the increased need for food assistance now that federal funding for CalFresh, the state’s federally funded food assistance program, faces uncertainty. Federal officials had planned to pause funding Nov. 1, but federal judges late last week ruled the program must continue despite the government shutdown.

The Yolo Food Bank last week announced plans to increase the size of its food distributions to partner organizations and make two additional deliveries to the Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center, on Nov. 8 and 15. That food will be distributed through The Pantry.

The food bank also announced plans to hold emergency food distributions in Woodland and West Sacramento this month.

“This partnership demonstrates what’s possible when agencies and community organizations come together quickly to meet an urgent need,” Karen Baker, executive director of the Yolo Food Bank, said in a news release. “The demand for food assistance is rising, and through collaboration with [the Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency] and our partners, we are mobilizing resources to make sure no one in Yolo County is left without support.”