San Francisco Meal Pack for 9/11 Day

In observance of the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the federally-recognized September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, known widely as “9/11 Day”, more than 1,000 volunteers from throughout the Bay Area will join together on September 11 at Non Plus Ultra’s SVN West (10 South Van Ness Ave., San Francisco), with the goal of packing over 275,000 meals for people in need.

The San Francisco Meal Pack for 9/11 Day, now in its second year, is being co-hosted by HandsOn Bay Area and The San Francisco Marin Food Bank, in partnership with the nonprofit 9/11 Day organization. The project, one of many being held across the nation, on 9/11 Day, pays tribute to the 9/11 victims, first responders, recovery workers, military personnel, and others who rose in service in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America. All of the meals being packed will be donated to and distributed by The San Francisco Marin Food Bank to assist people in the Bay Area who are food insecure. Nationwide, 9/11 Day said it expects volunteers to pack more than 3,000,000 meals for people in need.

“The San Francisco Meal Pack for 9/11 Day is a powerful and inspiring demonstration of this community’s ongoing commitment to remembering the 9/11 victims, and paying special tribute to members of our military, veterans and their families, who continue to give so much, including in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks,” said Liz Upchurch, Director of Program Delivery, HandsOn Bay Area, one of the co-hosts of the project.

“9/11 is a time for all of us to come together for the common good, by volunteering and working together to tackle a pervasive problem like hunger” says Paul Ash, Executive Director of the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. “We were glad to team up with ‘9/11 Day’ and ‘Hands On Bay Area’ to pack meals during last year’s event, and look forward another spirited effort this time around.”

9/11 Day was founded in 2002 by the 9/11 community with the goal of transforming the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks from a day of tragedy to a day of doing good in the spirit of national unity and peace. In 2009, the U.S. Congress and President formally recognized 9/11 Day under bipartisan federal law as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

Turning a day of tragedy into a day of doing good

“Our goal with 9/11 Day is to make sure that something positive comes from the loss of so many innocent people in such a terrible way,” said 9/11 Day co-founder Jay Winuk, who on 9/11 lost his younger brother Glenn Winuk, an attorney and volunteer firefighter who died in the line of duty during the rescue effort in New York City. “We didn’t want the terrorists to have the last word or determine for generations to come how our nation would remember and observe the anniversary of the terrorist attacks.”

Other 9/11 Day project locations in 2019 include New York City, Boston, Chicago, Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta, St. Louis, and Los Angeles. For more information please visit 911day.org. Television and radio PSAs are available by contacting rachel.mcmahan [at] 911day.org or by calling 949-344-8011.

9/11 Day is partnering with The Outreach Program to manage the food packing operations for the San Francisco Meal Pack for 9/11 Day. Other organizations from the Bay Area that are helping to support include HandsOn Bay Area, the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, the San Francisco Interfaith Council, the San Francisco Veteran Affairs Commission, and sf.citi. Principal funding to support the project is being provided by Wells Fargo, LinkedIn, and the Corporation for National & Community Service, a federal agency that oversees the national service programs Americorps and Senior Corps. Additional funding is being provided by City National Bank, Okta, Protiviti, Union Bank, Turner Construction Company, Salesforce, Sandler O'Neill + Partners, Vodafone, Keysight, AppDynamics, Non Plus Ultra, iHeartRadio, and Twitter.