300 seniors received healthy food bags to celebrate Thanksgiving

(SAN FRANCISCO) In celebration of the Thanksgiving holidays, Asian Pacific American Community Center in Visitacion Valley prepared 300 giveaway food bags for the seniors and low income families in the neighborhood.

The event was held on November 23, two days before Thanksgiving Day. Visitacion Valley is also called as the Forgotten Valley due to the neighborhood's lack of resources provided by the government agencies. Many other neighborhoods organized free turkey events for their residents. But there were no free turkeys distributed to the residents in Visitacion Valley this year.

"Even though we can't afford to provide free turkeys to our seniors and low income families, we give them healthy food," said Rex Tabora,

Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Community Center in Visitacion Valley.

In the morning of the giveaway event day, Tabora woke up very early to pick up the fresh food for the community. "During the pandemic, healthy food became more important for everyone. We can have healthy food to celebrate the holidays with our neighbors," said Tabora.

Visitacion Valley is one of the city's Asian neighborhoods that have over 50% of the population who are Chinese and Asian Americans. Those 300 seniors and residents to receive the food bags are the regular clients of the center seeking free social service.

State Senator Scott Wiener and President of the Board of Supervisors Shamann Walton joined the volunteers in the event to distribute the heavy food bags.

Captain Jack Hart, formerly Ingleside Station Captain and currently overseeing the Police Academy, also came back to the neighborhood to distribute the food for the residents.

Two years ago when Hart was the Captain at the Ingleside Police Station which over Visitacion Valley and the nearby neighborhoods, there were more Chinese speaking police walk-in service centers in the region, including one service center at the Asian Pacific American Community Center managed by Tabora.

"It is great coming back to serve the community. I am also a member of this neighborhood," said Hart, who grew up in the same district.