Longtime Roseville resident Dave Martinez was going to college and working in construction when a few of his friends suggested they volunteer at a local food bank.

The experience made a major impact on him, and after graduating from Sacramento State, Martinez accepted a full-time position as warehouse manager at the same food bank (then called the Placer County Concilio). He quickly found himself working his way into positions of greater responsibility, helping the organization to expand and consolidate with other area food banks. Soon, the organization – now known as Placer Food Bank – went from feeding around 5,000 people a month to feeding more than 42,000 in Placer County and beyond.

This month, the food bank will deliver food to houses as part of the Roseville Christmas Basket program, and Martinez (now the executive director) is proud of his efforts to provide low-cost, healthy meals to families facing tough economic times. He encourages both of his teenage children to volunteer their time at the food bank, and he’s currently working on programs to provide even more meals to local children and seniors. “The bottom line is that children and seniors depend on us,” Martinez says. “It’s our social duty to take care of them.”

For more about Dave Martinez, and other local happenings and information, be sure to pick up this month's copy of Style – Roseville, Granite Bay, Rocklin edition. Click on the Get Your Copy link on this Web site for some of our newsstand locations; click on the Subscribe link on this Web site to become a regular subscriber, or to order a copy of this issue or one of our back issues, please email  [email protected], or call 916-988-9888.