Thankful Thursday: The Introduction

"Thank you." We grow up learning these are "magic words" that should be used to express gratitude and appreciation.At the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, it is not magic that enables us to provide nutritious and critically-needed food to low-income community members. No, the secret to our success is the hundreds of partners and the thousands of contributors who have chosen to generously share their resources of time, talent or treasure in order to positively impact this community.Every day, organizations, companies, foundations and individuals make contributions to the Food Bank that enhance services to low-income families, financially struggling seniors, dedicated military personnel and their dependents, and veterans. And, while the Food Bank regularly thanks the people behind each and every one of these gifts, we have decided to introduce a new and public forum to thank our giving partners and contributors.What Is "Thankful Thursday"?Starting this month - Hunger Awareness Month in San Diego - the Food Bank welcomes in "Thankful Thursday." The idea is a simple one - every Thursday we will publicly highlight individuals and organizations working with us to alleviate the food insecurity issues faced by our low-income neighbors.The Food Bank's Facebook page and Twitter feeds will see gratitude expressed the best way we know how - with sincere and heartfelt thank yous. Throughout the day, we will highlight a few of the many acts of kindness, big and small, that make a profound difference for those struggling to put enough food on the table or worried about where they'll obtain their next meal.We may not be able to make hunger disappear with the wave of a wand, but we can ease the food and related nutrition challenges affecting those in need through the generous support and hard work of nonprofit partners, corporations, foundations and individuals - caring folks just like you.Making Kids Lives EasierTo get our Thankful Thursday campaign started, the Food Bank would like to say "Thank you" to Surrogate Alternatives.A group of employees from Surrogate Alternatives in Chula Vista came together recently to collect food and backpacks for children in the Food Bank's Food 4 Kids Backpack Program. The local company was inspired to give back and get involved after one of their employees saw a flyer at their local Starbucks talking about the Food 4 Kids program - a Food Bank program that provides 1,630 children from low-income families with a weekly backpack of child-friendly food to ensure they have food to eat over the weekend when school meals are unavailable.Together, the folks from Surrogate Alternatives packed 25 backpacks filled with nutritious food (171 pounds) - all of which was donated by the surrogacy company and its employees.The Food Bank sincerely appreciates your donation and involvement, Surrogate Alternatives. Thank you for making a huge difference to children in our community.