Philip Oleana was much more interested in talking about his woodworking projects than the food he was about to get from the Fort Bragg Food Bank.
For many years, Oleana specialized in furniture for bars and restaurants in the area, and as we waited in line for the free food, the 65-year-old was lamenting the fact that much of his work has been replaced with mass-produced stuff.
“There was no welding on my stools. I made them all in one piece,” he said, describing the process.
His wife, Ea, proudly listed all the places his work had been and still is, such as at the bars at North Coast Brewing and the MacCallum House. Many other bars in town also bought the stools.
“Every drunk up here tried to break one of his stools at some point — and they don”t break!” she said.
Ea was well-known as a local hairdresser.
“I”d still be cutting hair but my shoulder gave out,” she said.
Why does the couple need the Food Bank?
“We”re broke, and we”re old,” said Ea. “It [the Food Bank] helps a lot when you have very little. This is only our second time here. This organization really helps a lot of people, a lot of people who worked their whole life.”
The couple got married after living together for 15 years. How old is Ea?
“Don”t ask.”
There were about 25 senior citizens going through the line at the Food Bank the day I took the trip myself. Most of the seniors did not want their names used, citing the stigma that comes with being poor in modern America.
One older woman I met in line worked as a registered nurse most of her life. She gets disability income and has some savings but is in danger of losing her home now that she is on a fixed income.
“I”ve lived here 11 years and just needed the Food Bank in the past year. This is a wonderful group of people here. They don”t make anybody feel less than them — they welcome everybody,” she said. “I am a disabled R.N., I may lose my house, I”m just making it right now, and the Food Bank really helps.”
What is best and worst about the Food Bank?
“There is some very good food. You have to pick through it, especially the produce, to see what”s safe for you to eat. There is some mold in some of the items, but most is very good,” she said.
I, too, found some moldy fruits and vegetables, but most of the produce was surprisingly fresh. I also watched volunteers pick through the produce and get rid of the worst offenders. Tomatoes and butter lettuce I took home were crisp and delicious the next day. A nectarine I took looked fine but was shriveled up and brown inside a day later when I went to eat it. I got a very ripe pear, which was sweet and good and had no brown spots.
While the produce from Harvest, Safeway and the other local markets is a prime attraction, one item needed by seniors isn”t available — protein-rich canned meats and fish.
“This program is such a boost for so many,” said Patti Casey, 70. “The main thing that would really help is if we could get some more protein foods. We get a lot of, for instance, apple juice, which is nice but not something that is really helpful. A lot of us have health problems like diabetes and restrictions on sugar.”
The line was shorter than usual on the first Friday of the month, when I first went, which is about the time Social Security checks arrive. But the amount of food in the bags was also less, those in line told me.
“This time of year the food contributions go down,” Casey said. “There may be just a bag of rice and a few canned goods. This time of year the fresh things are a real help. The donations pick up during the holiday season.”
Casey came to Fort Bragg in 1955 and has seven children, 23 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
“I”m on the list for low income housing,” she said. “They”ve raised my rent at Dolphin Isle and it”s eating up a whole bunch of my Social Security now.
“I can”t afford to stay in my own home for long, but I can now while I wait. Without the Food Bank, I would be forced to live with my children right now.”
So, why not live with the kids?
“I don”t want to move in with my grandchildren or children,” Casey said. “Some of them live in apartments, none really have extra rooms. People don”t do that anymore — they can”t afford to.
“This enables me to live in my home right now, and that is very valuable to me,” she said.
Casey said a lot of the senior citizens who use the Food Bank don”t want to go into low-income housing.
“They”re trying to stay in their own homes and this program makes all the difference to many of them. Not everyone is aware of the fact that the money is very tight for a lot of elderly people in our town,” said Casey.
Casey and her late husband owned a charter fishing service in town for many years. He became ill and needed kidney dialysis among other conditions. They were active in the Mendocino Coast Dialysis Project, which brought a clinic to Fort Bragg.
The couple knew nothing of the way the other half lives until he had a heart attack at age 47.
“My husband and I had T-bills and other savings, all of which we spent on the first few rounds of illness,” she said.
“They canceled his insurance, which we had paid on all our lives. When we tried to get other insurance we couldn”t because of preexisting conditions,” she said. “Mine was I had a hysterectomy. I didn”t have my uterus anymore, and it wasn”t ever cancerous, but that doesn”t matter to these insurance companies. It”s the same old story about health care — you have heard it before — everybody”s heard it before.”
She is also raising a 9-year-old great-grandson with special needs.
“If nothing else, I would come for the high quality bakery items, which are great when you have a 9-year-old at home.”
Casey is active in several charities including the LDS Church. Mormons are famous for their own feeding program, which I asked her about.
“If I do ours from the church, it may be from Salt Lake or Oakland. This [the Food Bank] is in our community; it doesn”t have to come from somewhere else. This is right here, and it”s fresh. The fresh fruits and vegetables are some of the things I come for.”
Some people wonder if freeloaders use the Food Bank, but Casey says the vast majority are parents, grandparents, church leaders and civic volunteers who truly need what is offered.
“There are a couple of people who shall remain nameless,” she said. “There”s one little old lady who comes in with her grandchildren, and if there is a box of apples, they will take the whole box for themselves.”
But Casey said some people are obsessed with worrying about who gets what.
“Some people see someone and make a judgment. There is a young woman who is often in line with the seniors and people have said to me, What is she doing here?” Well, she”s a caregiver for people who are homebound. But some people do tend to think the worst.”
I felt bad at that moment because I myself had been suspicious of a younger woman getting a box intended for senior citizens.
“Another woman has a daughter who is disabled who comes with her,” said Casey. “This is a program that helps a lot of different kinds of people.”
More than three-quarters of a million Americans over 65 and living alone have difficulty providing themselves with a steady supply of food and experience some degree of hunger, according to the Meals On Wheels Association.
The Redwood Coast Senior Center in Fort Bragg serves between 50 to 75 homebound coast seniors every day with home-delivered meals. Other senior center services include an on-site dining program, low-cost door-to-door bus service, exercise classes and a day program for people with dementia and other cognitive impairments. Sometimes the senior center benefits from Food Bank donations, and sometimes excess senior center food goes to the Food Bank.
Seniors who meet income qualifications get a bag of food per week from the Food Bank. Those who qualify further get a special box of food every month.
One 63-year-old man was a boatyard manager in South Florida but has been on disability for the eight years he has been in Fort Bragg. He lives on $876 per month.
“[The Food Bank] gives me food every week and a food box every month,” he said. “It”s very important to keeping me going during the overlap [the time when money from last month”s check runs out].”
The best thing about the Food Bank?
“They give you a nice mixture of food. And nobody makes you feel bad about it.”
The worst?
“They need to go through the food better,” he said. “Most people are smart enough to go through it, but some people aren”t, and I”m afraid moldy fruits and vegetables could make someone sick. They do well with what they have. They need to have more food to give out, especially meats.”
One senior didn”t want to say more than that she was tired and going back to work, where she makes minimum wage.
“Hunger can happen to anyone,” said Fort Bragg Food Bank Executive Director Nancy Severy. “Particularly vulnerable are seniors whose only income is a very modest monthly Social Security check; parents of small children who work one or more low paying jobs; people with overwhelming medical expenses; people who have lost a job.
“These are our friends, neighbors, co-workers and family. The Food Bank is here to provide emergency food assistance to help people through tough times.”
The Fort Bragg Food Bank distributed 873,887 lbs. (436 tons) of food in 2006. Each month the Food Bank served approximately 950 client households, representing about 1,600 household members.
“In addition we trucked another 244,541 lbs. (122 tons) to food banks, food pantries, soup kitchens and other eligible agencies throughout the county,” said Severy. “At these subsites we served another 950 client families each month representing about 2,275 household members.”
Season of Sharing
Of the 60 or so non-profit organizations serving our area, Sharon DiMauro, publisher of the Advocate-News and The Mendocino Beacon, has put the newspapers” full support behind the Food Bank”s efforts by sponsoring the Season of Sharing fund drive every year since 1995.
“The Food Bank is addressing the most basic problems facing so many — hunger,” DiMauro said. “We can”t address other problems if hunger isn”t addressed first.”
The Community Foundation of Mendocino County administers the Season of Sharing fund-raiser free of charge as a courtesy to the newspapers, so every cent goes to 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. Monetary contributions also can be dropped by the newspaper office, located at 450 N. Franklin St.
Donors” names are printed each week, unless they ask to remain anonymous. As of Monday, this year”s drive has reached $1,930 thanks to contributions from Gene and Elizabeth Davis, Betty Stechmeyer, Susan Warner and two anonymous donations.
If you have any questions about the fund drive, call the Advocate-News at 964-5642. The fund-raiser runs through Dec. 31.
