Larry Ottoviani officially lost his job after seven years with the 7Up Bottling Company for doing the one thing that helped him counteract the anxiety in his personal life. That one thing was feeding hungry cats. “I love cats and don’t like to see them go hungry,” Ottoviania said. “When I’m feeding cats I can forget everything else for awhile.” Ottoviani had been warned several times by his supervisor not to feed the cats. The official termination notice dated Jan. 4, 2012, stated that Ottoviani violated his “last chance agreement not to feed the cats on company time and/or company property.” While Ottoviani does not deny feeding cats, he denied doing so during company time and on comp

Thousands of Sacramento participants toughed out the rain this Thanksgiving morning as they participated in the 18th Annual Run to Feed the Hungry. The event is benefiting the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. For more information and race results visit www.runtofeedthehungry.com Photos from this morning's event:

Thanksgiving is a holiday for community, sharing and, of course, a bountiful feast. Thanks to several local organizations, even those who aren’t able to afford a turkey dinner with all the trimmings this year can still enjoy a free meal. All are invited to come, fill their plates, and be grateful for warm turkey on a cool November day. Below are nine charities and churches hosting Thanksgiving dinner this week. If you know of any others, please add to the list in the Conversation section. Happy Thanksgiving! Sacramento Loaves & Fishes When: Tuesday from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Where: 1321 North C St. 446-0874 Sacramento Loaves & Fishes will serve a Thanksgiving feast, complete with turkey,

As Francis House of Sacramento continues to celebrate its 40th Anniversary, this very important institution will honor the memory of Greg Bunker, Executive Director, who passed away December 28, 2010 with their upcoming 20th Annual “Feast for the Streets Food and Wine Gala”, April 27, 2011 at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in downtown Sacramento. Feast for the Streets is the largest fundraiser for Francis House and is highly regarded as one of Sacramento’s premiere food and wine tasting events. With the sudden passing of Greg Bunker in December, Francis House wants to celebrate his life’s work for the homeless and destitute in a way that he would have wanted. Forrest Reed, Acting Direct

As part of its 2010 Holiday campaign focused on fighting hunger, Walmart launched a Facebook campaign that invites fans to select the communities that will receive $1.5 million in grants. By visiting the campaign website and "liking" a community via their Facebook account, people influence which communities will receive the funds. The community with the most "likes" will receive $1 million to fight hunger; the next 5 highest scoring communities will receive $100,000 each. Why is this news? Because Sacramento is in now in 6th place which earns a $100,000 grant! With less than 48 hours remaining in the race, Sacramento's social media influencers are campaigning to keep Sacramento in 6th pla

Councilmember Rob Fong is again bringing together Sacramento’s top restaurants to cook delicious turkeys that will be donated to Loaves & Fishes so the organization can provide Thanksgiving meals to the city’s hungry and homeless population. Councilmember Fong established the Annual Turkey Cook-Off four years ago so that those who are unable to afford a meal can also share in the spirit of Thanksgiving. The cook-off, which will help feed more than one thousand (1,000) people, will take place on Monday, November 22, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Beatnik Studios, 2421 17th Street. Loaves & Fishes is a local nonprofit organization whose mission is to feed the hungry and shelter the homeless. Each