By Daily Press staff
For many Santa Monica families this year, the chance of having a holiday meal lies within a big, red bucket.
For the second year in a row, Santa Monica Place is conducting the “Big Red Bucket” campaign, a holiday food drive that unites the community in helping provide meals to families in need.
More than 50 Macerich-owned shopping centers are participating in the drive, which began Nov. 1 and runs until Nov. 21. In addition to receiving donations from mall merchants, Santa Monica Place has partnered with local schools to help fill the 16-gallon buckets with food. Each bucket contains specified non-perishable items for a complete holiday meal, as well as a gift certificate for a turkey or ham.
“The ‘Big Red Bucket’ gives us the chance to work together with people in the community to provide holiday meals to local families,” said Erica Boatman-Dixon, senior marketing manager for Santa Monica Place. “By working together, we were able to feed more than 20 families last year, and this year we hope to reach at least 100 with the help of our community partners.”
Once the buckets have been filled, they will be delivered to families via the Salvation Army.
Santa Monica Place is located off the Third Street Promenade, between Broadway and Colorado Avenue in downtown Santa Monica. The shopping center houses more than 130 specialty shops and eateries and is owned and managed by the Macerich Company, a real estate investment trust.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 14, 2003. Read the original PDF.