Ask your company for time to help with emergency food distributions

The Community Food Bank is still seeking volunteers to assist with emergency drought-relief food distributions in San Joaquin Valley. Each distribution requires 150-200 volunteers, but with the number of volunteers coming up short, the Food Bank has had to turn away a lot of people seeking this assistance, even though there is plenty of food to distribute.

With help needed so urgently, HandsOn Central California is reaching out to valley businesses in September and October, asking those businesses to allow employees time away from work so they can help with the distributions. Businesses already participating in this project include D&H Homes, Pelco and Verizon.

Want to get involved? Consider approaching your work supervisor about having your team or company participate in the distributions. With many companies eager to build goodwill through community involvement, corporate participation in a food distribution is a simple and low-cost way to build that goodwill.

For more information, including information for employers and supervisors about the project, contact Wendy Negri at (559) 299-5052. Distribution shifts are scheduled 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and 1-6 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, in Firebaugh, Huron, Mendota, San Joaquin, and Selma.

'Congressional Send-Off' healthcare rally draws nearly 200 energetic supporters

Nearly 200 energetic and vocal supporters of meaningful healthcare reform rejected the politics of fear and made their voices heard at a very successful 'Congressional Send-Off Rally for Healthcare Reform,' held Sept. 1 at the Amtrak Station in downtown Fresno.



In the midst of the healthcare-reform battle, Volunteers For Change-Fresno banded together with Organizing For America, Health-Access.org and a number of other groups, with the purpose of giving our Congressional representatives -- especially Rep. Jim Costa and Sen. Diane Feinstein -- a powerful reminder that we support meaningful healthcare reform with a strong public option.


Participants also filled two suitcases with stories about how the healthcare crisis has hurt them or their families, suitcases to be delivered to the offices of Rep. Costa and Sen. Feinstein.


As expected, a small crowd of approximately 15 Tea Partiers also showed up, conducting a small and mostly quiet counter-rally near ours. But despite a number of rude interruptions by the Tea Partiers -- those interruptions coming primarily from a solitary TPer employing a megaphone specifically to disrupt the pro-reform rally -- their voices and taunts were no match for the resolve of the participating supporters of meaningful reform.


Miss it? View our video of the rally above. If the video viewscreen is not visible, our video is available on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5bDbik51tU.

A hearty "thank you" to all who participated! Let's win this fight!

We get press: Local television covers the rally

Yesterday's Healthcare Reform rally garnered its share of television coverage. First, here's KSEE-24's segment on the rally. For their full report, visit the KSEE-24 website.



Next, here's how Fresno's ABC-30 News covered the rally. For their full report, visit the healthcare reform rally story on the ABC-30 website.

Next V4CF meeting scheduled Tuesday, Sept. 8

Save the date: Our next Volunteers For Change-Fresno general meeting is scheduled 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8, in the large community room at the Fig Garden Library, 3071 W. Bullard Ave., in Fresno. The library is on the southwest corner of Bullard and Marks, in the shopping center.

As predicted, we've had a very busy August. But the work's not over... not by a long shot. Stay tuned for the official agenda!

Congressional Send-Off demonstration happening tomorrow, Sept. 1

Just a reminder: To ensure our Congressional representatives don't forget about their constituents' support for meaningful healthcare reform, Volunteers For Change-Fresno and a number of other organizations will be hosting a Congressional Send-Off demonstration, scheduled 4:30-6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, at the Amtrak station in downtown Fresno.

While there is no indication any of our Representatives or Senators have placed the event on their calendars, the intent is to hold a live, positive demonstration reminding our representatives that we support meaningful healthcare reform with a strong public option. As such, participants are invited to bring signs, chants and energy to devote to this effort, and all are invited to wear their Obama campaign 'flair.'

If you attend:

• PARKING UPDATE: We've been able to arrange convenient off-street parking for the Congressional Send-Off rally in the Santa Fe lot immediately south of the gated Amtrak lot. Santa Fe lot parking will cost $3 per car for the event's duration, a rate competitive with metered parking available nearby.
  
  Because the Santa Fe lot will be available, we are asking Send-Off participants NOT to park in the gated Amtrak lot.
  
  
• We'll be packing Rep. Costa's suitcase with information about the benefits his CD-20 constituents will receive when they pass healthcare reform with a strong public option. We'll also be reminding him of the components we're seeking in healthcare reform. Similar information will be shared with Sen. Feinstein.
  
  
• Please also bring personal stories and photographs that we can pack in a suitcase of memories to help our representatives remember why their constituents need them to fight for health reform. V4CF volunteers wearing red baseball caps will be moving through the crowd, collecting personal healthcare stories that will be "packed" for Rep. Costa and Sen. Feinstein at the end of the rally.
  
  
• Participants will be encouraged to show their support for healthcare reform and the public option and they will also be encouraged to support Sen. Feinstein and Rep. Costa when they cast votes for these options.
  
  
• The tone of this event is to be supportive and positive about healthcare reform, not to be negative about the evolving positions of any of our representatives. So please, leave the Lipton, the 'Blue Dog bones' and any other such negative reinforcement at home.

Want to attend? RSVP on Organizing For America's sign-up page. We hope to see you tomorrow!