CHICO — The 34th annual Thanksgiving Basket Brigade returned Wednesday night at Azad’s Martial Arts Center, with volunteers across three counties distributing baskets of Thanksgiving foods across the area.

Site coordinator Traci Ciapponi said she estimated a “couple hundred” volunteers from setup to cleanup, with more than 50 drivers delivering baskets to 150 families in the area, with more than 500 total expected to receive meals. She added that, by the end of the night, the event will have served almost 90 thousand people over the course of 34 years.

The event started as just a “single-basket delivery,” and has grown to encompass five sites over Butte, Glenn and Colusa counties. Ciapponi, in her 12th year working the event, said when she started, it was just in Chico. Now, she said, th

See Full Page