Hundreds of local families struggling to make ends meet will be able to serve farm-fresh eggs at their holiday dinner tables, thanks to donations from Gemperle Family Farms.

Gemperle Family Farms and its affiliates will donate over 100,000 eggs this holiday season. The holiday egg donations will support 20 organizations across the Central Valley, including the United Samaritans Foundation and Turlock Together.

“At Gemperle Farms, we believe in coming together to help local families and children in need,” said Gemperle Family Farms President Steve Gemperle. “It’s part of our responsibility as a local family-run business to help others out during these difficult economic times, especially with such high unemployment and increased food costs.”

It isn’t just the Christmas season when Stanislaus County families struggle. With 22 percent of families living below the poverty line, the unemployment rate hovering around 10 percent and nearly 30 percent of children living in poverty, this is an ongoing problem.

“Stanislaus County is one of the poorest counties in the nation,” Gemperle said. “Our partnership with the United Samaritans Foundation and Turlock Together is the foundation of our egg donations, and it works to ensure healthy food gets to those in need.”

In 1994, Ernie Gemperle helped found the United Samaritans Foundation. Part of the mission behind this organization is to deliver food to those in need. United Samaritans Foundation will use the Gemperle Farms eggs to serve 300 families with emergency food boxes. These boxes contain healthy staple food items, fruits and vegetables, yogurt and Gemperle eggs. On Christmas Eve, United Samaritans will deliver special holiday meals through its mobile food trucks.

“For some of these families, these are the only fruits and vegetables they will have for the month,” said Executive Director of the United Samaritans Foundation Barbara Bawanan. “Since 1994, we have delivered over eight million meals.  This year alone, we will deliver 400,000 hot and cold sack lunches.”

According to Bawanan, 50 million people in the U.S. don’t know where their next meal is coming from. This equals one in four children.

“In our August survey of people utilizing our mobile lunch program, 31 percent said these lunches were their only meal of the day,” Bawanan said. “Gemperle Farms donates 450 dozen eggs per week. These egg donations are a vital part of our meal program. We are very grateful for the support of the Gemperle Family Farms.”

Gemperle Family Farms donated 24,000 eggs to support the Turlock Together Christmas Baskets.