Food Bank: “We’re Off To A Great Start!”

–from the Orcas Island Food Bank Board —

The Orcas Island Food Bank was very fortunate for many reasons at the end of last year and into 2018, and we have many to thank!

Our Community – The first big thanks goes out to all of you in the community who so generously contribute food items and monetary gifts to the Food Bank. Only because of you do our clients receive ample bags of items, from meats and fresh produce to a huge variety of other food items and some personal hygiene products. These are all so important and greatly appreciated.

Island Market – If you contributed to Island Market’s $10 Food Bank Grocery Bag at Christmastime, you were part of a grand total value of $5,953.90 the Food Bank will receive in wholesale food items from the Market! Thanks so much for your participation, and we always are grateful to Island Market which is a major contributing partner of the Food Bank all year long.

Other Winter Food Donations – As you may know, winter is a busy time for the Food Bank, and we were fortunate to receive large donations of food and produce from Camp Orkila and Four Winds Camp. Also, the Orcas Middle School Builders Club kids gathered and contributed 285 lbs of food items to the Food Bank during the Holidays!  And, of course, we can’t overlook Rose’s Bakery and Café, which gives our clients some of the most delicious bread items you can imagine. Our clients will be missing the awesome items we received from Teezer’s but thank them so much for supporting us for so many years. Also, hardly a day goes by when we don’t find amazing produce from some of our Island farms and home gardeners.

Food Bank Manager Jeannie Doty welcoming the new fridge.

A Huge Year-end Surprise was given to us by Robin and Norman Coates in the form of a generous monetary gift. We have used a portion of it to buy a brand new two-door, energy-efficient, commercial refrigerator which lets us handle more fresh products for distribution to our clients. Their gift also allows us to buy more organic products for the families we serve. And, a huge shout out to Island Freight who picked the new fridge up from the mainland and brought it right to our door at no charge.

The Weekend Pack for Kids Program continues to provide approximately 45 kids at our public school each weekend with bags filled with food items the kids can prepare if their parents are at work or unavailable on days that school breakfasts and lunches are not provided.

Some Organizational News – Food Bank board members attended the Social Services Summit hosted by the Community Foundation (OICF) in March. Fifteen Social Services organizations came together to share with each other what services they provide – including shelter, food, medical services, mental health, transportation, companionship, mentor programs, and other adult and child services. It was amazing to learn about, and be a part of, how much our Island cares and provides for its residents!

We are happy to announce that Susan McBain is our new Board Chair and Tom Murdock continues to serve as Vice Chair. Also, Rollie Sauer has volunteered to be our Facility Manager.

We continue to provide an average of 90 families a week with food and other items they need to augment their daily nutritional and personal needs. Our undying gratitude is extended to all of you who help make this possible.