The scale of the Food Bank’s warehouse expansion is enormous, and with a $40 million price tag, it can’t happen without the broad support of donors like Mike and Alison Mauzé, who chair the Capital Campaign Committee.
Mike and Alison Mauzé are like many Food Bank donors: They devote an enormous amount of their time, talent, and treasure to our mission to end hunger. As chairs for the Capital Campaign Committee, they have been leaders in our donor community over the last three years.
Mike manages a private equity fund and invests in entrepreneurial food brands, while Alison chairs the board for Davidson College and works full-time in philanthropy. They moved to the Bay Area in 2000 and have witnessed the need for food grow.
“We are seeing a tremendous increase in food insecurity,” said Mike. “With the rising cost of living, rent takes up more of the paycheck than ever before, while government programs have been cut and are more difficult to tap.”
Alison concurred: This is why the couple first got involved with the Food Bank. “Food is a universal need, and food insecurity affects people from different backgrounds,” she said. “But what strikes me the most is how it affects kids. Children aren’t as prepared for school when they are wrestling with hunger.”
Nearing the goal
During the time the Mauzés have been volunteering with the Food Bank, they have gotten to know other donors from all different walks of life and industries, but they say there is a tie that binds them together around the Food Bank’s mission to end hunger.
That tie is so strong that people have gladly chipped in for the warehouse expansion, knowing it means feeding more people struggling to put food on the table. In fact, donors have been so enthusiastic that the Capital Campaign Committee has already raised over 90% of the needed $40 million.
Alison attributes this to donors recognizing the growing needs. “There is economic hardship in the community, and so many people have lost their jobs in the pandemic, or they are working hard but still can’t make ends meet,” she said. “Struggling families have even more expenses with kids out of school. Having food means one less thing to worry about and provides that basic fuel to take on life’s other challenges.”
While there is still more to raise, the Mauzés are confident that the expansion will continue to win support from the broad donor community. “We are in the middle of the pandemic and a recession,” said Mike. “I’m not a prognosticator of the economy. But I know for certain that the Food Bank’s donors will step up for anything our community needs. People are having a hard time making ends meet, and we need to lend a hand. Now more than ever is the time to make a difference.”
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