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# Macerich's Big Red Bucket drive delivers holiday meals to 110 Santa Monica families
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/122105-story/
- Published: 2005-12-21T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T08:20:53.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Community, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Daily Press staff*

The holidays are not the same without a traditional family meal, especially for the needy.

In cooperation with the Santa Monica school system, 110 deserving families received a taste of holiday cheer through The Macerich Company’s fourth annual Big Red Bucket corporate food drive, which collects all the necessary canned goods and fixings for a complete holiday meal.

Each 16-gallon bucket contained specified non-perishable items for the meal, as well as a gift certificate for a turkey or a ham. The Macerich Company encouraged its corporate employees and vendors to fill red buckets with recommended food items such as canned vegetables, chicken broth, gravy and cranberry sauce, stuffing or biscuit mixes, powdered milk, ready-made pie crust with filling, and staples such as flour, sugar and cornmeal.

The meals were distributed locally on Dec. 12\. Each family received a $50 gift card, accepted anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted, to assist with other grocery items.

Several families also received Christmas trees, food, money and clothing — including a Gulf Coast family displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

“Families traditionally gather together for a holiday meal this time of year,” said Susan Valentine, senior vice president of marketing for Macerich. “The Big Red Bucket campaign makes this seasonal tradition a reality for more area families. What began as a philanthropy effort among corporate employees in 2001 has grown into an outreach effort undertaken by many of our regional shopping centers. Together with dozens of participating centers, we have fed thousands of deserving families this holiday season.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 21, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/122105.pdf?ref=smdp.com)