KGET hosted their annual food drive for Golden Empire Gleaners outside the KGET studios in Downtown Bakersfield on March 28 and received a record-breaking amount of food and donations.

Gleaners received 17,000 pounds of food and $9,000 in cash in a single day during the food drive.

Gleaners is a non-profit organization that helps families with food insecurity.

“These donations will keep us going for a couple of months,” said Glen Ephrom the executive director of Gleaners

The money donated will be used towards increasing more of the food supply, food vehicles, and will help pay some bills.

At the annual food drive, volunteers retrieved the donations from cars as they arrived and placed the food in the back of trucks.

KGETs Meteorologist Alissa Carlson was present at the food drive and spoke to a few volunteers and donators and encouraged more people to come during live reports.

Julie Hansen an employee for Gleaners, was at the food drive and stated how their process for receiving food works.

“One of the ways we work is with a referral for disability or unemployment we offer a program for them to pick up their food,” Hansen said. “We receive referrals every day from agencies such as CAPK, Clinica Sierra Vista, schools, churches, and we charge 5 cents to those agencies but is free to those who receive the food.”

Each box a person can receive is around five pounds and they can receive it weekly.

Volunteers also receive a free lunch every day they work.

For one week of work at the Gleaners food bank, one food box is received in exchange.

Gleaners are based on volunteer help and the donations they received.

The organization helps feed up to 125 families a day.