In Portola, the Western Pacific Railroad Museum’s annual Pumpkin Patch Express and Santa Trains not only spread festive cheer but also contribute to community welfare.
Since 1993, through the efforts of volunteers from the Feather River Rail Society (FRRS), these events have offered admission discounts in exchange for nonperishable food donations, supporting the local EPCAN Food Bank. Eugene Vicknair, Secretary of the Rail Society, said” “In true Christmas spirit, we wanted to find a way to give back to our community.””
According to Dink Rife, an EPCAN volunteer, it is estimated that 650 to 850 pounds of food are donated yearly from the Pumpkin Patch Express event, and 800 to 1,000 pounds of food are donated from Santa Trains” “In the short span of 10 months, we have served 3,944 clients (averaging 394 a month) and 1,635 households (averaging 163 a month.)
Additionally, the leftover pumpkins are donated to the Sierra Nevada Zoological Park in Reno, benefiting exotic animals. The Santa Train event on December 2 and weekends leading up to Christmas, visitors can enjoy festive activities while making meaningful contributions to those in need.
For more information, visit https://wplives.org.
