Volunteers were up early Tuesday morning at Lifestyle Furniture Store in North Fresno excepting canned food donations. If you donate on Tuesday, you can get a nice discount on your next furniture set for your home.
Boxes of canned-food items, donated during the holidays, fill up the front entrance of Community Food Bank of Fresno County. But those donations tend to drop significantly after the New Year.
"Our food hardship rate is the highest in the country at 27.2 percent, and that's numbers up, basically about 30,000 people from the year before and we expect it to go up again this year," said Andy Souza with the Community Food Bank.
One way the community is hoping to keep the generous holiday spirit alive is by holding a food drive early in the year.
"There's a greater need, and with a greater need we're hoping to raise more money to help meet that demand," said food drive organizer Reggie Deleon.
The Central Valley Citizens Fighting Hunger is hosting Tuesday's food and fund drive and is hoping for a huge turnout this year.
"Last year, we raised over 11,000 dollars and 8 tons of food for the Community Food Bank, which was one of their larger food drives -- and our goal this year is to hopefully surpass that," said Deleon.
The Lifestyle Furniture Store is hosting the food drive and they're slashing their prices for those that bring non-perishable food items.
"If you do need furniture we are also offering 10 percent off if you bring 10 cans in, 15 percent off if you bring 15 cans. If you bring more that's great but 15 % is the biggest discount we'll give," said Chris Chapa with Lifestyle Furniture.
Organizers hope the discount draws more people to help those in need and fill up the Food Bank warehouse.
Volunteers will be excepting donations until 7 p.m. Tuesday night.
