Gunrock mobbed for photos! Twenty-two food trucks serving free lunches! Chancellor Gary S. May in a dunk tank!

It could be only one thing: Thank Goodness for Staff on Russell Field, last Wednesday (May 11), under sunshine with just a few clouds rolling by.

No story about TGFS would be complete without adding to the acronym, to make it TGFSA: “Thank Goodness” for Staff Assembly, which organizes this celebration annually (and which resorted to virtual events the last two years because of the pandemic).

“Staff Assembly was thrilled to welcome staff back to in-person TGFS,” said Zoé Bolesta-Reynolds, Staff Assembly events chair who led the 2022 TGFS committee. She is the business relationship manager in Advancement Services.

“This long-standing tradition of recognizing and thanking staff with a picnic, time to relax and the opportunity to connect with colleagues felt especially poignant after two years of virtual celebrations,” she said.

She gave special thanks to all the TGFS volunteers who generously donated their earned release time in order to give back to the community and ensure the success of the event.

Staff Assembly received 6,134 RSVPs for the May 11 picnic ... and photos prove that just about everyone showed up, grabbing their meals (with that many RSVPs, each food truck served an average of 279 lunches) and sitting down to eat with old friends and new friends (and even family members who also work for UC Davis), under tents or in the sun.

Two other food trucks served TGFS lunches in the Health Sciences District and at police-fire headquarters.

On Russell Field, picnickers visited the Vendor and Sponsor Showcase, where departments and units and outside organizations offered information about their services, and, in many cases, gave out swag!

Bolesta-Reynolds, the TGFS chair, summed up the day: “The weather was beautiful, the food trucks delivered manageable lines, the vendors shared a bounty of giveaways, the addition of student performers showcased the talents of UC Davis students, and Chancellor May returned to the dunk tank!

“Personally, I hope staff saw the picnic as a small token of appreciation for their hard work and dedication to the world-class institution that is UC Davis. I know seeing so many smiles filled my bucket. Thank Goodness for UC Davis Staff and Go Ags!”

Before and after the picnic

TGFS After Dark the night before (May 10) drew 359 RSVPs from alternate-shift workers. Three food trucks served lunch outside Putah Creek Lodge.

Friday night (May 13) brought the TGFS finale, a drive-in movie at the West Wind in Sacramento, with 260 RSVPs submitted for the screening of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.