LEGENDARY HOUSE OF BLUES 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION KICKS OFF BY FEEDING 1,700 PEOPLE THIS THANKSGIVING

House of Blues Anaheim Provides Thanksgiving

Meals to Families in the Anaheim City School District with Local Partner Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County

House of Blues, Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, and the Anaheim City School District are joining forces again to feed approximately 400 students and their families in the Anaheim City School District in conjunction with House of Blues’ 20th Anniversary celebration. These children and their families are served through the District’s McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act, which requires districts to eliminate barriers that homeless children may face in attaining an education. The need for food is especially critical for this population during the holidays. The House of Blues tradition of feeding the needy began in 1992, when the original House of Blues in Cambridge, Mass. opened their doors on Thanksgiving Day to feed the homeless before opening to the public.
House of Blues Anaheim General Manager, Pietra Bijos, noted “We are very excited to once again open our doors and provide a traditional Thanksgiving meal to the families in need in our community. Giving back to our community is an important part of our history and culture at House of Blues, and we are proud to be a part of this important event.”
During the week of Thanksgiving, House of Blues Anaheim will provide enough food for at least 1,700 people to enjoy a hot Thanksgiving meal. Non-perishable items can be dropped off at the House of Blues Company Store now through November 19.

Transportation for the House of Blues' food drive is being provided by Hertz as part of its sponsorship of the House of Blues' 20th Anniversary.

In the spirit of the founding values of House of Blues, all 13 venues across the nation will be providing 20,000 Thanksgiving meals to the needy this holiday season.
 
Many people believe that the problems associated with hunger are confined to small pockets of the community or certain neighborhoods, but the reality is much different. Those at-risk of hunger are often hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and are forced to go without food in order to meet other expenses. Particularly in the wake of the recession, too many people have to make the choice between high rents, rising medical costs, and putting food on the table. Anaheim City School District reports almost 2,300 children living in homeless conditions.

“It is with sincere gratitude that I thank House of Blues and Second Harvest Food Bank for their generous gift to feed over 400 children in Anaheim who are living in homeless conditions. We are incredibly grateful to be a part of this amazing partnership that will provide Thanksgiving to so many of our children. “ – Wendy Dallin, Homeless Education Liaison, Anaheim City School District.
 

Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County is also proud to be a part of this important holiday effort. Second Harvest estimates that 615,000, or 1 in 5, OC residents are currently at risk of missing meals in a given month. With a 42% increase in demand for food since 2008, Second Harvest now serves about 240,000 people every month – but there are still many more not being reached.

“Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County is honored to help provide food for this Thanksgiving meal. The House of Blues is a wonderful partner and their service will bring joy to so many Orange County families who would otherwise go without this holiday.” – Nicole Suydam, CEO.

About The House of Blues
With 38 owned/operated clubs and theaters, The House of Blues Entertainment portfolio, a division of LiveNation, is wide-ranging including the legendary Fillmores and the intimate House of Blues clubs throughout the United States. House of Blues Entertainment is the country’s pre-eminent live music venue collection featuring state-of-the-art sound and lighting technology in one-of-a-kind custom designed environments aimed to bring fans and artists together in unparalleled musical environments.

About Anaheim City School District
We are a diverse family of 24 schools, serving 19,300 K-6 students in a dynamic, standards-based learning community.  As one of the largest elementary school districts in California, we offer a broad range of programs and learning opportunities, enhanced by strong support from families and the community.

About Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County
Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County is working to eliminate hunger in Orange County. Through a network of nearly 500 local member nonprofits, the Food Bank distributes over 16 million pounds of nutritious food to our neighbors in need every year. For every $1 donated, 94.6 cents goes directly to our food programs. To learn more about our work in the community – and how you can help – please see FeedOC.org.