MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. — The $4 billion Kinecta Federal Credit Union and its subsidiary, Nix Check Cashing, distributed care packages to more than 1,200 needy families Nov. 23 during its 35th annual Nix Check Cashing holiday food drive. To fund the effort, more than $110,000 was raised from Nix customers, Kinecta members and local businesses."I had the opportunity to participate in the food drive for the first time last year and experienced the good feelings this event fosters," said Kinecta President/CEO Simone Lagomarsino. "This year, Kinecta introduced the Nix food drive to our members, and we encouraged them to contribute to help make this day a special one for as many people as possible. It truly is heart warming to see the spirit of generosity in our communities when we come together to help one another during difficult times."The Nix Check Cashing Community Outreach Foundation partners with local community organizations, community groups and churches each year to identify families who will benefit from the food drive. This year, nearly three dozen community organizations were involved in selecting the families to be served and distributing the food packages at the Athens Park in Los Angeles. Dozens of employees from Nix and Kinecta volunteered during the weekend to prepare the packages on Saturday and distribute them on Sunday.Each family received bags of traditional Thanksgiving meal items: rice, stuffing, vegetables, beans, other donated items and a $75 gift card to local grocery stores to use toward the purchase of other food items, such as a Thanksgiving turkey. In addition, children received bags of activity books and other fun items.The event, one of the largest holiday food drives in Los Angeles, drew television cameras and news crews from the CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX and UPN affiliates in Los Angeles. Nationally recognized community activist Alice Harris, founder-executive director of Parents of Watts, one of the organizations involved in the event, was a guest speaker and was featured in several of the interviews.–[email protected]