By Mary Owen
With bare shelves, Stayton Community Food Bank volunteers must make a trip to the local market to purchase food to fill the boxes clients pick up.
“As food comes in, food goes out,” said Todd Jensen, chairman of the board for the nonprofit agency that serves families in Stayton, West Stayton, Sublimity, Marion and rural Aumsville. “We have an ongoing, never-ending need for food.”
“Also, the number of clients is rising,” added Edna Rickman, the food bank’s volunteer director.
A record number of 277 households, or 1,002 people, were served in August, Rickman said.
“It’s just a sign of tough economic times,” she said. “Some people relocated just before school starts, or had to buy schools supplies and clothes.”
Jensen agreed, saying, “Summer is always a bad time.”
Events like food drives don’t usually happen outside of the school year, and without the advantage of school lunches and other such programs, many youngsters are eating more at home, he said.
Add that to high unemployment and higher living costs, and many area families struggle to keep food on their tables, Rickman said.
“Our shelves are so bare, we’re buying food,” she said. “Last month we spent $2,000 and probably will spend that much or more this month.”
Recent donations brought in canned goods, but not quite enough to stock shelves to their usual capacity, Rickman said.
“New Life Church donated 619 pounds of food the day before we had to go and buy some,” she said. The church’s drive was held in August. “It saved the day.”
Some 500 pounds of canned goods were collected at the Sublimity Harvest Festival last month, and Wilco recently donated 189 pounds of food collected at the farm store as well as 561 pounds of fresh produce, Rickman said.
“Several grocery stores also held bag drives this summer, but it just hasn’t been enough,” she said. “Our backup of canned goods collected by schools and businesses during the last holiday season was depleted by August. With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, we can use all we can get. We are dependent on people’s generosity until the next big food collection in December.”
The Stayton Community Food Bank always needs canned fruit, soups, meat dinners such as chili, spaghetti or macaroni, Rickman suggested.
Tuna, dinner mixes, cereal,, tomato sauce, snacks, rice, flour, sugar, pasta and baking mixes are suggested donations as will as financial contributions. Personal care items such as soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, feminine hygiene products and diapers are also always needed.
Rickman said the most recent donation by SCTC helped put a dent in the food needed to fill food bank shelves right now.
“They collected approximately 800 pounds this year,” she said. “Beta Sigma Phi and friends came to help sort.”
Rickman is grateful for the donations they get from local churches, service groups, stores, special events, Marion-Polk Food Share, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Oregon Food Bank, and individual donations for food and funds.
A few regulars donate food bought with their own money, she said.
“They come in with a couple of hundred pounds of food,” she said. “That’s really nice.”
A grant coupled with 2010 donations allowed the food bank to give local grocery store gift cards to each family in January, March, June and August, Rickman said.
“Eligibility for one person is a net income of $1,679, and for each additional person, add $259,” she said. “Most people who come in are not even close to (making) that. They say they wish they were.”
Rickman welcomes people with special circumstances, such as caring for a parent or having high medical bills, to come and talk to her about qualifying for a food box.
Established in 1982 by the local ministerial association, Stayton Community Food Bank is run by about 35 volunteers. Located at 155 Second Ave., the food bank is open 9 a.m. to noon on weekdays.
“Not only do we draw from the community, we serve the community,” Rickman said.
For information, call 503-769-4088 days or Rickman at 503-769-6459 evenings.
