Fighting Food Insecurity One Box at a Time

It’s not unusual to find the Straub family volunteering on a Saturday morning. Ron, Nicole, Kyle and Tristian, all Southern California Edison employees, regularly participate in Edison International volunteer events, including this year’s 18th annual National Family Volunteer Day hosted by the Community Action Partnership of Orange County.

“It’s amazing how volunteering brings our family even closer,” said Nicole Straub. “Working together to support our community strengthens our family bond and fills us with a sense of pride and purpose. It’s a unique opportunity to make a positive impact while creating special moments with my family.”

At this year’s Orange County Food Bank event, 240 employees, friends and family volunteers worked together to pack 4,937 boxes of food, stuffed with juice, non-dairy milk, rice, beans, cereal, peanut butter, canned fruit and vegetables.

This event is crucial to supporting the food bank’s efforts during the holiday season. It addresses the persistent issue of food insecurity, ensuring that many families have access to nutritious meals. National Family Volunteer Day is not just a local event, but a global day of service celebrating the power of families working together to support their communities.

“This is one of Edison’s signature events that we eagerly anticipate in each year. It’s a pleasure to meet team members, their families and friends,” said Caroline Choi, Edison International and SCE senior vice president of Corporate Affairs. “Ultimately, it’s not just about the number of boxes packed, but about the people we’re supporting and the community we’re strengthening.”

Edison International also contributed $20,000 to the Community Action Partnership of Orange County, continuing a tradition of support that has been a cornerstone of their partnership since 2004. In addition to Family Volunteer Day, Edison supports CAP-OC’s Kindergarten to College STEM program, a workforce development program that focuses on preparing high school students and young adults for college and the workforce.

Alexandra Bodenhoefer, an SCE senior specialist in Planning, attends annually with her husband, family and friends, where they enjoy adding a little bit of friendly competition to support the serious issue of food insecurity in the region.

“We come to win,” Bodenhoefer said. “We want to show our support for families in need, while also defending our title for most boxes packed. Our goal is to set the bar high and beat our record from the previous year.”

For more information on SCE’s volunteer efforts, visit edison.com/community.

Below are photos from the event.