The Fort Bragg Food Bank”s “Santa” came back last week — just in time for Christmas. An anonymous local donor once again approached Harvest Market owner Tom Honer and gave $10,000, to be spent by the Food Bank at the store.
“This is a wonderful, wonderful thing for us. The timing couldn”t have been better,” said Food Bank Executive Director Nancy Severy, after getting the news from the grocer.
The same anonymous donor (presumably) gave the same amount last year through Honer. That big gift kept the organization going through the long months after Christmas, when generosity tends to fade.
Severy reported on Friday that several locals had walked in with $100 checks. She was pleased with the holiday spirit this year and with the newspapers” Season of Sharing campaign, which, as of presstime has raised $17,525 toward the $20,000 goal set by Publisher Sharon DiMauro.
The Food Bank was able to give away as many turkeys by Friday as they had before Christmas last year, with more left to give away Monday.
Food Bank relies
on community
While the Fort Bragg Food Bank fills many local tummies simply by opening its doors and dispensing food to long lines of people, the organization depends on the generosity of the local community.
I saw a lot of that in my visits to the Food Bank, but much more is needed to keep the busy organization”s table full throughout the year.
“The Food Bank”s current program of weekly food distribution to hungry clients would not exist without the support of the local community,” Severy said.
“Cash contributions by local community members make up 50 percent of our cash budget,” she added. “Obviously, our ability to feed the hungry in our community would be severely impaired without this tremendous local support.”
The Food Bank also helps feed a network of non-profits, churches and relief efforts that seek to provide both hot and cold food to the hungry. The Food Bank gives edibles — either free or very low cost — to local soup kitchens that serve meals on a walk-in basis, said Severy. These include Gleanings at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church in Fort Bragg, Friday”s Feast at First Baptist Church in Fort Bragg, a food program at Lighthouse Foursquare Church and also the Hospitality House.
“I think the Food Bank has a good balanced partnership with these groups in the fight against hunger,” said Severy. “We focus on supplying bags of groceries on a weekly basis to clients while the soup kitchens focus on providing daily prepared meals. Our community is fortunate to have both kinds of support for those that need it.”
Other efforts
The list of local religious organizations that help feed the hungry is too long for this article, but I thought I should mention a few of the most impressive efforts.
Holiday dinners include a free Thanksgiving meal at First Presbyterian Church of Fort Bragg, the Fort Bragg Lions Club Christmas dinner and the Christmas dinner provided by First Baptist Church of Fort Bragg.
The Coast Community Center in Fort Bragg provided a free meal on Dec. 20. At Thanksgiving, Trinity Lutheran provided 12 holiday food baskets to Food Bank client families, working with Jean Jones of the Food Bank to contact the families and deliver the baskets. The Fort Bragg Presbyterian Church and St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church sponsored a Crop Walk event this year and donated part of the proceeds to the Food Bank.
“The support of the local churches, both morale support and material support, is hugely important to the Food Bank,” Severy said. (The Lions Club and Coast Community Center are not church based.)
“Churches make direct donations of cash and food, collected by their parishioners. Others provide food baskets at Christmas and Thanksgiving to Food Bank families. Many keep us apprised of church-sponsored charitable activities and events so that we can let our clients know.”
Sometimes the Food Bank helps the churches, too.
“To varying degrees over the years (depending on funding) we have also provided food to churches who have a small pantries” of food for folks who come to them for help during times when the Food Bank is not open,” Severy explained. “This is a good extension of the Food Bank”s mission of supplying emergency food.”
Local individuals and businesses also contribute a little over 50 percent of the food donated to the Food Bank. The rest is through government programs.
“Apparently a lot of community members carry the Food Bank in their hearts — to make so many thoughtful gifts,” Severy said.
Local radio stations and newspapers consistently give exposure to the Food Bank”s mission through PSAs and feature articles, Severy said.
“This of course includes the Advocate, Beacon and the following radio and TV stations: KOZT, KMFB, MCTV KSAY (now off the air), KZYX, KDAC, Channel 8.”
Young people help, too
Although the Food Bank can”t accept volunteers under 16 for insurance reasons, a big effort is made to involve local youngsters. Several Mendocino Coast teachers bring students on regular field trips in an effort to expose the youngsters to issues of poverty and non-profit culture.
Kudos for Kids came on a field trip in November, bringing food donations with them.
“They were lots of fun and asked lots of good questions about the Food Bank,” Severy said.
The Interact and Kiwanis Key clubs from the Fort Bragg High School came to assemble Thanksgiving bags.
“This is a really fun event and the kids do a great job. They are lively and fun and fast! They assembled 600 bags in about an hour,” Severy said.
Redwood Elementary kindergarten classes provided handmade Thanksgiving cards that were a big hit with the clients. The Food Bank is decorated with drawings specially made by Mary Nelson.
The Food Bank makes an extra effort to help the elderly, ill clients and children. For those efforts, donations of the supplement drink Ensure are always needed.
“We deliver monthly USDA commodities bags and CSFP Senior Food Boxes to residents at several senior housing complexes (including delivery of a turkey and a holiday bag at Thanksgiving,” Severy said. “We provide an extra weekly bag of food to families with children during school vacation times when kids don”t have access to subsidized school lunches.”
Gifts of little items are always appreciated at the Food Bank.
“In addition to food, we love to get donations of toiletries (shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste, razors, etc.) to hand out to folks who need them.”
What does the Food Bank need most?
“I think just keeping up (or increasing!) the current level of support for providing food through the Food Bank and the soup kitchens,” Severy said. “Meeting the need for food isn”t terribly complex — it”s a matter of resources and efficiencies. The magic ingredient, however, is the heart” of the community that drives it all.
“According to Jean Jones, our volunteer/client coordinator, it”s a lot like the old story of Stone Soup.” The community pot starts with only water and a stone, but everybody brings a little to add to the pot and before you know it, everyone is fed. The Food Bank is the pot,” said Severy.
Season of Sharing
The goal of the Advocate-News and Mendocino Beacon”s Season of Sharing fund drive is to raise a substantial chunk of money that the Food Bank can draw on year-round, after the holidays when donations tend to flow most freely. This year”s target is $20,000 — there”s only $2,475 to go.
“We”re in the last week of the drive,” Publisher Sharon DiMauro said. “We ask everyone to consider making a contribution, no amount is too small. Every penny we collect is given to the Food Bank.”
The Community Foundation of Mendocino County administers the Season of Sharing free of charge as a courtesy to the newspapers, so donations are tax-deductible. The Season of Sharing is a great idea for individuals and businesses who want to make year-end charitable contributions. The fund-raiser runs through Dec. 31.
Checks should be addressed to the Community Foundation of Mendocino County (CFMC), and mailed to Advocate-News, P.O. Box 1188, Fort Bragg, 95437, or dropped by the office, located at 450 N. Franklin St.
If you have any questions about the fund drive, call the Advocate-News at 964-5642.
Donors” names are printed each week, unless they ask to remain anonymous. A complete list of 2007 donors will be printed in the Jan. 3 newspaper.
As of Wednesday, the drive had reached $17,525. This week”s donors are Edwin and Theresa Branscomb, Susan Warner, JoAnne Rossiter, Jeanette Hansen, Hearts and Hands at Cider Creek, Estelle Austin, Geri Creque-Stough, Charles and Sandra Lyon, Out of this World, Carl Rittiman and Associates, Donald and Patricia Kuchta, Carolyn Kinet, Carol and Robert Clark, Roslyn and Bruce Moore and three anonymous donations.
