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Citrus Heights Messenger

'Snack Man' Welcomes Donations to Halloween Candy Collection

Oct 20, 2022 12:00AM ● By Story and photo by Elise Spleiss

It was a small but generous group who donated candy to the 'Snack Man' for his annual Halloween candy drive. Back row left to right: Frank, Paul, Mindy and Joan. Sitting in front from left to right: Mrs. Snack Man, Sylvia, Wilma, and Snack Man (Alfredo).

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - On October 12, 2022, a group of Citrus Heights residents gathered to present ‘Snack Man’ Alfredo Sanchez with sweet treats to add to his Halloween candy collection. The treats will help brighten the days and nights for his homeless neighbors this year.

Joan Williams, a Citrus Heights resident and a longtime supporter of Sanchez saw the request for candy on his Facebook page and invited her neighbors to pitch in to help the candy cause.

Sanchez has launched many charitable projects for the homeless in Citrus Heights since 2018. It all began with one 31-gallon tub of candy and since then has developed into hundreds of goods collected for dozens of projects which fill almost every nook and cranny of the apartment he shares with ‘Mrs. Snack Man.’

Each year for his birthday in March Sanchez holds a new collection drive to make a difference for the homeless population in the neighborhood he calls ‘Snack Land,’ a six-mile roundtrip area including Greenback, and Sunrise to Sylvan. One year it was sleeping bags. Last year it was socks; with the help of many supporters, over 3,000 pairs of socks were collected. Sanchez estimates he goes out on his electric scooter or with friends 300 times a year, taking with him the snacks and personal care items donated or purchased at a discount.

If you would like to add to the candy collection for ‘Snack Man’s’ homeless neighbors check out his Facebook page at “snack man citrus heights” or call him at 916-517-6207. Monetary donations are welcome along with beanie caps this year, which he has been distributing for 35 years from his days living in downtown Sacramento.