BART hosts annual food and toy drive.

OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 20, 1994--BART in conjunction with its partners, the Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco Food Banks, has launched a special Holiday Food Drive to help needy families.

Marked collection barrels have been placed in each of the system's 34 stations, where canned or packaged food may be deposited. The barrels are located inside the paid areas.

According to BART General Manager Richard A. White, each Food Bank will receive the food donations from those barrels located in that part of the system in each BART county. He said the Food Banks in each of the counties face a serious shortage this year, and BART is doing all it can to help by making stations drop-off locations.

BART police are also collecting food and monetary contributions in their annual food drive. The BART Police Department has been collecting and distributing food to needy families within the BART District during the holidays for the past 15 years.

BART Police have placed food deposit barrels on each floor of the BART Administrative Headquarters Building. Monetary contributions may be sent to BART Police Food Drive, LMA-C, 800 Madison St., Oakland, 94607.

Additional food collection barrels have been placed in each of the BART maintenance yards so that BART employees who do not normally go into stations can contribute directly to the Food Banks.

BART has also begun "With Love: From BART," a toy and gift drive for children who have been diagnosed HIV-positive or who have AIDS. Hundreds of children and families throughout the Bay Area live with the debilitating diseases. The emotional and financial toll on the families is enormous.

The toys and gifts will go to patients and their families at Oakland Children's Hospital, The University of California San Francisco Medical Center, The Hope Project, and Bridge for Kids.

BART employees are depositing new, unwrapped toys at a receiving center on the first floor of the BART Administration Building. Anyone who wants to donate a toy or gift may drop it off at the receiving center.

CONTACT: Bay Area Rapid Transit 

              Mike Healy, 510/464-7110
              510/482-2981 (nights and weekends);
              510/678-6397 (pager)
              510/482-9579 (fax)