Infineon Raceway donated a single-year record of nearly 3,000 pounds of non-perishable food items to Friends in Sonoma Helping (FISH) and the Committee on the Shelterless (COTS) in Petaluma during the facility’s 8th annual Thanksgiving Food Drive.

The amount marked one of the largest single donations either food bank will receive this holiday season. Since the inception of the annual food drive in 2000, Infineon Raceway has distributed more than 12,000 pounds of non-perishable food items.

The raceway is proud to aid such well-respected organizations. FISH has been serving needy Sonoma Valley residents since 1970, while COTS, which is based in Petaluma, delivered more than 500,000 pounds of food in 2007. Moreover, COTS served more than 102,000 meals through its Petaluma Kitchen in 2007.

“The donation from Infineon Raceway helps us hit our target number of supplies,” said Sherman Bielfelt, a long-time FISH volunteer who helps sort all the food donations. “We make Christmas baskets from the food donated, and it’s tough to make baskets without food. We’ll serve more than 400 families during the holidays with this.”

“Infineon Raceway’s gift enables people that are hanging by their fingertips to have a good holiday,” said John Records, executive director of COTS. “We are so grateful that the raceway serves the community beyond just providing entertainment. This is a great thing that they do.”

Infineon Raceway was not alone in its efforts. It was joined in the food drive by four Northern California Mary’s Pizza Shack locations, the Racer’s Group in Petaluma, the Petaluma Fire Department, the Petaluma Chamber of Commerce, as well as Destination RKA in Windsor. Sonoma Gourmet of Cotati also made a generous donation of three pallets of gourmet food items.

For more information on FISH, please call (707) 996-0111. If you would like to contact COTS directly, call (707) 778-6380 or visit www.cots-homeless.org.