Concluding its 15th year in participation, Allen Lund Company announced record produce donations for the 2018 Navidad en el Barrio event. Navidad en el Barrio, which was established in 1972 by Danny Villanueva, former NFL kicker, continues its mission to provide a healthy Christmas dinner to the most underserved families in Southern California.

“2018 was a remarkable year for Navidad en el Barrio,” said Nora Trueblood, MarCom director for ALC. “We had growers from Texas, Idaho, Washington and California participate this year, which translated to four full truckloads of fresh produce. We were able to provide an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables to every family, which does not happen every year.”

“What made this year especially wonderful was the new growers, many of whom we met at PMA Fresh Summit, who were first-time donors to this program. From potatoes, and carrots to citrus, apples, pumpkins, mixed greens, and avocados, every family had fresh items in their dinner baskets.”  The fresh items are added to a basket that included staples featuring rice, tortillas, water, pasta, tomato sauce, beans and fresh chicken.

ALC provided the coordination of donated product as well as the logistical support of moving produce from Texas, Idaho, Washington and in-state California to the warehouse for distribution on Dec. 15. ALC contract carriers, Wanship and Chevez Express, stepped in and donated their time and equipment to assist in this year’s Navidad en el Barrio event.

2018 donors included: Rainer Fruit, Bonipak Produce, Wada Farms, Grimmway, Cacique, Inc., Coca-Cola Refreshments, Faribault Foods, Mother’s Nutritional Center, Northgate Supermarkets, Wonderful Citrus, Mission Produce, Garofalo Pasta/Advantage Solutions, El Dorado Growers, Naturipe, J & D Produce, Gem-Pack Berries, Sage Fruit Company, Novamex, and American Fresh Produce.