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Assemblymember Haney holds his 2nd annual food giveaway for low income families in Visitacion Valley for holidays

Portia Li
Portia Li
November 22, 2023
Seniors and low income families line up at the Visitacion Valley Community Center to pick up the free food bags from Assemblymember Haney Office. Photo by Portia Li
Seniors and low income families line up at the Visitacion Valley Community Center to pick up the free food bags from Assemblymember Haney Office. Photo by Portia Li

(SAN FRANCISCO) State Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) returned to Visitacion Valley on November 18, Saturday, to distribute 500 food bags to the local seniors and low income families to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Visitacion Valley, which is also described as "The Forgotten Valley", has always been overlooked for resources and services by the government agencies and organizations.

Haney who was elected to the Assembly in 2022 representing the east side of San Francisco including Chinatown, Visitacion Valley and Bay View neighborhoods, held a food giveaway event before Thanksgiving holiday in 2022.

Haney returned this year and held his second food giveaway on November 18 to distribute 500 food bags to seniors and low income families in the Visitacion Valley.

Although there was no turkey in each food bag, the people who had signed up in advance were so excited to receive the free food which was mostly Asian food that they enjoyed. Hundreds of people lined up early under the rain at the Visitacion Valley Community Center playground on last Saturday.

Assemblymember Matt Haney returns to Visitacion Valley on November 18 to give away 500 free food bags to the families in the neighborhood. Courtesy Matt Haney’s Office
Assemblymember Matt Haney returns to Visitacion Valley on November 18 to give away 500 free food bags to the families in the neighborhood. Courtesy Matt Haney’s Office

The food giveaway has been a joint partnership event between Haney and Visitacion Valley Asian Pacific American Community Center (APACC) for two years for the Thanksgiving celebration.

Kelvin Chan, manager of APACC, thanked Haney for the continued support to the Visitacion Valley community by allocating more resources for the neighborhood.

"I am very proud to represent all of you in the State Legislature. My staff has been a big part of this event," said Haney. "I wanted to make sure people have the opportunity to celebrate the holidays."

Haney has donated funds for part of the event and raised the rest of the funds. The support was also from the Oriental Food Association.

"We advocate for you on your behalf in Sacramento fighting for more housing for seniors, fighting for more assistance for food, fighting for more safety and security for our community," said Haney. "Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Holidays, and Merry Christmas."