Disney employees give back at LA Regional Food Bank

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The L.A. Regional Food Bank relies on donations as well as volunteers, and it received both on Thursday.

Hundreds of Disney employees participated in a Day of Service as part of the Walt Disney Company's Global Week of Service and the Summer of Service.

Employees from various Disney ABC business units in Southern California volunteered at the food bank, where a check for $5,000 was also presented.

"It translates into 20,000 meals, so the bang for the buck is very significant with a donation like this," L.A. Regional Food Bank CEO Michael Flood said.

Other Disney ABC volunteers spent the day cleaning up the L.A. River.

Efforts like these took place in 17 countries all week long as part of Disney's VoluntEARS program, which aims to intimately connect employees with their communities.

Since the program's inception in 1983, VoluntEARS have provided more than 10 million hours of volunteer service and giving back worldwide.

Ben Sherwood, president of the Disney ABC Television Group, spoke to a large crowd of VoluntEARS about the importance of Thursday's work.

"Every one of us is a citizen of this great city and every one us wants to do a little thing to make the city a better place," Sherwood said.