When I first saw the young man sitting in his car in the Fort Bragg Food Bank parking lot, I had no doubt he was a very unwilling court referral, forced to choose between doing community service at the Food Bank or jail by a judge.
He sat bolt upright, listening to his stereo cranked all the way up. It was 10 minutes to 10 a.m. and he clearly wasn”t going to be even a minute early.
My mischievous smile broadened as the tall, neatly dressed man warily moved toward the door, keeping his distance from much more casual and relaxed clients and volunteers. He wore flawless white tennis shoes, a felt black shirt and sported short, styled hair. I knew it would be interesting to watch how his “conversion” would go.
That was three years ago, a story I”ve saved to unravel here. Since then, I”ve undergone several conversions of my own since the standoffish reporter looking down my notepad at the subjects days of this annual series. My first surprise was how eating the food was an improvement over my personally chosen diet. Then, it was some drastic mind changes about who the clients really are. I met families, elderly people and several retired business owners, along with people struggling with mental illness and homeless men. They truly depend on this community institution.
The best part of my education is spending time with the staff and volunteers. My final step came on Monday — sitting down and sharing a free prepared lunch for the first time. Not just any lunch, but the one cooked every day by Yukie Holland, whose talent with leftovers from the leftovers is inspiring.
“The Food Bank would be worth it just for the delicious food,” said Jack Rexrode as we enjoyed a Waltons-style supper scene.
Rexrode, from one of Fort Bragg”s old line families, first came as a court referral, but underwent the conversion and has stayed on as a volunteer.
“This is a great place to be and it does a lot of good. I”m glad that I ended up here,” Rexrode said.
I share the table with seven others, which I note quietly, match the demographics of Fort Bragg. Two are Latino, the rest are Caucasian. Typically at the Food Bank, Latinos are underrepresented at the Food Bank, for reasons we have often debated. The 2000 census showed Fort Bragg had 61 percent who listed their race as white and 32 percent as Hispanic; just 10 percent of Food Bank clients are Latino.
“At the Food Bank, it”s like we are all brothers and sisters, not like any other workplace where I have been,” said volunteer Miguel Medina. “I”m happy to have the chance to help other people.”
Charity rating services like Charitywatch look at how much nonprofits get out of volunteers and how far they make $100 donated go. Having been involved in half a dozen local non profits, I have observed that the Food Bank is ahead of most on use of court referrals and near the top in volunteer to staff ratio.
Year to date, 111 people have volunteered 6,989 hours at the Food Bank. In addition, 63 community service workers who come through the law enforcement system have put in 3,342 hours, said Food Bank Executive Director Nancy Severy.
“All together [the volunteer hours] is like having five additional full-time employees on staff. To put this in perspective, we have 3.7 full-time equivalents on paid staff, so you can see what a big difference our volunteers make. There is no way we can operate the Food Bank without our volunteers. Many have been here longer than our staff, and we rely heavily on their experience and knowledge — and on their dedication,” said Severy.
The lunch started with the gourmet French breads provided by regular contributors to the Food Bank, like Cafe Beaujolais. Holland and her helpers slice it thin and toast it with USDA donated cheese on top. It”s hard to eat just one.
The next course is pasta, flavored with many vegetables that would otherwise not be eaten. The salad is a smorgasbord of fresh veggies, consisting of a rainbow of colors. The aromas are rich. I don”t get a single bite that I can”t savor. But I expect as much. I watched the very, very extensive process of cutting away the spoiled and cleaning the salad before lunch.
Volunteer Ron Hutchinson is another court referral. He tackles some heavy lifting beyond other clients while the rest enjoy lunch.
“I”m going to keep coming when that is over. Doing this makes me feel great. Everyone is so relaxed and friendly here; it”s a terrific place and the work the Food Bank does is so important right now,” said Hutchinson.
I saw the young man in the parking lot several times, working off his hours. He wouldn”t look at me; much less talk to me after he found out I wanted his name for a news story. He was literally standoffish, but worked hard. Everyone else at the very busy Food Bank easily ignores a person who doesn”t want to socialize — or even smile.
Lunch is much more relaxed and has the usual jovial atmosphere. There is soft baked squash. The lunch is filling but not heavy, featuring very few sugars, fats or processed foods.
“I like how so many people are so polite — the please, the thank you — it”s very refreshing,” said Donna Byers, another court referral.
Jerry Smith, a long-time volunteer, is proudly staking out his spot on a daily basis in the line, giving out the bags of canned food. But now he has had a brush with the law and is thinking about doing his community service for the court at the Food Bank.
“I”m going to protest that,” joked Rexrode.
“We shouldn”t get to have this much fun doing our community service,” he said.
Volunteers and court referrals actually work hard. It”s impossible not to, based on how fast everything moves in and out of the freezer, on and off trucks, and inside and out for cleaning.
“It feels better to work hard,” said Rexrode. “The only problem I ever had here was eating too much of this delicious lunch and wanting to take a nap afterward.”
Today”s group is very open about sharing their names.
“I want to be in the paper, my kids will get a kick out of it,” said Byers, telling about their success in college. “I”m so proud of them.”
I had thought the tall, mortified young man might be one who could resist the conversion. I saw him toss fast-food bags from his car to the ground, which I chided him for. He seemed unfriendly to all until the incredible giveaway on the day before Thanksgiving. Then, there he was, smiling, talking, and hefting turkeys out to the cars of elderly people.
We met in the lot next door, where, instead of glowering, he shook my hand and we talked.
“But I still don”t want to be in the paper,” he said.
I see him around town sometimes and we always exchange greetings and he asks how the Food Bank is doing. But he always closes with, “I still don”t want to be in the story.”
Give him just a little more time.
Season of Sharing
This series goes hand in glove with the Advocate-News and The Mendocino Beacon”s annual Season of Sharing fund drive for the Food Bank. The goal is to give the Food Bank money it can use year-round, not just during the holidays.
The nonprofit Community Foundation of Mendocino County administers the Season of Sharing free of charge as a courtesy to the newspapers.
Every cent taken in by the newspapers goes to the Food Bank.
Checks should be addressed to the Community Foundation of Mendocino County (CFMC), and mailed to newspaper at P.O. Box 1188, Fort Bragg, 95437, or dropped off at 450 N. Franklin St.
If you have any questions, call us at 964-5642. The fundraiser runs through Dec. 31.
Donors” names are printed each week, unless you ask to remain anonymous. This week”s donors are Leslie Hayter and Maybyrde Swanson, Alice Gillespie, B.J. Reynolds, Patricia Galligan and Dianne Miller, F. Ben and Nancy Housel, Linda Jupiter, Frank DiMauro, Fred White, Mike and Ruth Dell”Ara and two anonymous donors.
The total amount raised so far comes to $4,090.
