Four-year-old Lilly Simili smiled widely when she heard her picture might get into the newspaper while partaking of Coast Christian Center”s bag lunch in the park program.
Her mom wasn”t keen on the idea, but gave permission when Lilly made it clear that she really wanted her picture taken for possible publication for the first time.
Lilly played with the dogs of several homeless people and gleefully accepted a sack lunch when the ladies of Coast Christian Center arrived. Quite tall for 4, Lilly smiled for the camera and answered a resounding “yes” when asked if she was going to play volleyball when she got to high school.
Coast Christian, an Assembly of God Church, has been providing free sack lunches every Saturday promptly at noon in Bainbridge Park in Fort Bragg.
In Fort Bragg, local charities and churches, led by the Fort Bragg Food Bank, arrange their meals so that something is available almost every day for the hungry. But many eligible people do not seek government or private aid.
“If people are hungry here on the coast, they don”t know how to eat,” said Ron Davis, referring to the churches, charities and government agencies that provide meals to low income people and the homeless.
“It”s not like that in other communities, bigger places where you might get just one meal a week.”
Davis, who lives in his vehicle, has lived in the area 22 years and is thankful to those community members who have provided a safety net when it was needed.
Seven men and one woman sat at the picnic table in Harold O. Bainbridge Park in Fort Bragg, awaiting the delivery of lunch. About 35 people, mostly men, had lunch on a clear and cold Saturday.
A newspaper announcing the hanging of Saddam Hussein was being passed around the table by the jovial crowd, who disagreed on the need to execute the Iraqi dictator.
Several of the men were bundled in coats, hats and fingerless gloves, the mark of those used to living out of doors in the cold weather.
While most in the crowd were homeless men, about 25 percent are working families, estimated Laura Gibney, one of the women who comes out each week for Coast Christian Center.
“There are a lot of people working, who aren”t financially OK,” said Sharon Thorp, who was there for lunch. “They are not in the welfare system at all but because of the Food Bank and these churches they can supplement what they can buy with food for their families” tables.”
While Davis, Thorp and Lilly both were happy to give their names, many others would not. In fact, the stigma that comes with taking food stamps and other food programs is costing the county money. Mendocino ranks 40th among California counties in underutilization of food stamps, with 43 percent of those eligible not getting the aid. Many of these are people with jobs who cannot afford the cost of living. Many people say they know people locally who don”t want to accept aid because of the stigma.
“It”s called the working poor. I”ve been doing it all my life. I raised two children by myself, making a living by cleaning motel rooms,” Thorp added.
Members of Coast Christian Center donated the food for the Saturday sack lunch in the park. Bulging brown bags were filled with one or two sandwiches, a drink, chips, fruit and dessert.
Gibney said the need gets greater toward the end of every month, when the church needs 40 to 50 or more lunches. Earlier in the month, when checks have come in, about 20 to 30 lunches suffice, she has learned in her four years of offering the service.
Shirley Blair, wife of Pastor Larry Blair, and Sharon Franco are among the regulars who come for the church. Gibney also helps out with the Friday noon meal provided by First Baptist Church of Fort Bragg. A hot meal is provided every Friday from noon to 1 p.m. at the church, located at the corner of Pine and Franklin streets.
Gibney said some of the same people who showed up for the first park giveaway four years ago are still coming out on a weekly basis.
“We get to know and care about a lot of these people and they [care about us] … We try to help as much as we can … A lot of these people don”t want to follow anybody”s rules,” she said.
How to help financially
Beginning in 1995, the Advocate-News and The Mendocino Beacon began sponsoring “Season of Sharing,” an annual community fund-raiser for the Fort Bragg Food Bank. The Food Bank is the primary source on the coast, distributing both directly to clients and soup kitchens, churches and other organizations that serve the hungry.
Of the 60 or so very worthy non-profit organizations serving our area, the newspapers” publisher, Sharon Brewer, puts her full support behind the Food Bank”s efforts, “Because they are addressing the most basic problems facing so many — hunger.
“We support many community causes, but the Food Bank”s cause is the one we get entirely behind,” says Brewer. “We can”t address other problems, if hunger isn”t addressed first.”
Once again the Community Foundation of Mendocino County is administering the fund-raiser free of charge, enabling all tax-deductible donations to directly benefit the Food Bank.
Checks should be addressed to the Community Foundation of Mendocino County (CFMC), and mailed to Advocate-News, P.O. Box 1188, Fort Bragg, 95437. Donations may be dropped by the newspaper office, located at 450 N. Franklin St.
The newspapers provide weekly updates on the total dollars raised, with the names of contributing individuals and businesses, unless they wish to remain anonymous. The fund-raiser runs through Jan. 31.
Food Bank hours
The Food Bank office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. It is closed on Tuesday.
Food is given out on Monday and Friday from noon to 3 p.m., and on Wednesday from noon to 4 p.m., with a special time for seniors from 10:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. all three days.
For information, call 964-9404 or email foodbank@ mcn.org.
This week”s update
Weekly updates on the total dollars raised appear in each issue, with the names of contributing individuals and businesses (unless they wish to remain anonymous) printed to keep the momentum going.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Season of Sharing had raised $8,734. There was one anonymous donation last week.
