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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2009)
16 vernonia’s voice volunteerism april 2009 A Typical Visit to the Vernonia Cares Food Bank Vernonia Cares Food Bank (VCFB) is located at 627 Adams Avenue inside the American Legion Building, just behind the West Oregon Electric Office on the way to Ander- son Park. Curbside parking is available in front of the build- ing and across the street. The Food Bank is open Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. For those who are unable to access the food bank during business hours due to their work schedules, appointments may be made by call- ing 503-429-1414 and leaving a message. Due to current economic conditions, many people may find they need a little help with their grocery budget. First- time visitors to VCFB may not be sure what to expect. This article describes a typical visit. After entering the front doors of the building, clients register with Tina at the recep- tion desk. Registration includes basic information about the client’s household such as names, ages, and dates of birth for each person living at this address. New clients will be asked to show ID which verifies they live at this address. A driver’s license, rent or utility receipt or even just a letter that came to the person at the stated address is sufficient. As Tina gathers this information, she prints the completed form and the client signs the application. The target population for VCFB is households that fall within the USDA income guidelines. Those guidelines are currently a base monthly income of $1,670 for one person plus $577 per additional household member. The registration process usually takes less than fifteen minutes; this application remains on file for one year. All cli- ents’ names are kept confidential. If the client returns within the year, and no changes have occurred within the household, the process is even quicker. The application is simply signed for the new month’s groceries and the shopping begins. Tina will ask a few food questions so the frozen and refrigerated portion of the order can be filled by volunteers while the cli- ent begins shopping. A VCFB volunteer will become a personal shopping as- sistant to this new client. The goal of VCFB is to provide three days of groceries, given once a month. Quantities of food are tailored to the household size. Carts with boxes and bags are filled with non-perishable groceries as the client and volunteer stroll past the shelves of food. This permits the client to indicate his or her household’s food preferences. VCFB President Carolyn Velasco states, “There’s no use giv- ing a family a can of pickled beets if no one likes them! This shopping style pantry helps eliminate wasted food. We appreciate the ability to be a user-friendly food pantry for our clients.” At the end of the shopping, the client adds a few loaves Christian Aid Ministries (CAM) has again sent help to Vernonia. The Mennonite relief group of bread to his or her order. based in Ohio, has, for the third time, mobilized a relief team to assist Vernonia in flood recovery. The sack of frozen and re- A crew of fifteen construction workers and their families have been hard at work in Vernonia frigerated items is placed since early March, and were planning to leave at the end of the month. on the cart. If the client is They were originally scheduled to help construct new replacement homes that Community able, he or she is asked to Action Team is building as an option for flood victims who are choosing to be bought out. But help defray the cost of the that project, managed by Casey Mitchell, was not quite at the new construction phase when the bread delivery by adding CAM team arrived, so other projects have been found to take advantage of their skills, manpower to a donation box located and good will. They have worked on building decks, stairways, and done sheet rock projects for at the registration table. flood victims. (Bread is donated to VCFB One of the projects the CAM team has been involved in is the renovation of what Casey from Safeway in Forest Mitchell is calling the “Corey Hill House.” The house sits next to the new replacement home Grove. The funds help pay lots, and is an old mill house that is being renovated to be used as a senior citizen rental by Com- for the transportation cost munity Action Team. The house has been lifted and turned ninety degrees, placed on a founda- to bring it to Vernonia.) tion, is being resided with cedar shingles, is having a deck added, and will be completely reno- The cart is then wheeled to vated inside. The CAM the client’s car, the food is team has been hard at work on that project. CAM has also helped move along the Schaum- burg House, framing that project and giving it a boost towards comple- tion. The Schaumburg House is being construct- ed in part with donated supplies and labor for Dean Schaumburg and his family. Schaumburg was severely injured in a logging accident almost two years ago, and the family’s rental was flood- ed in December, 2007. Christian Aid Minis- tries provides disaster re- lief assistance throughout the world as just one of their many programs and Members of the Christian Aid Ministries team work on a home restoration projects. project on Corey Hill. Christian Aid Ministries Back to Help Vernonia... Again Vernonia Cares volunteers Tina Brewington, Penny Dean, Barbara Rainbolt, and Dave Howard show a typical food order at the food bank. unloaded and the cart is returned into the building. Bread is available once a week; pantry orders are available once a month. A typical order for a household size of four is pic- tured with this article. February 2009 statistics show that VCFB assisted over 150 Vernonia households that month. These households con- tained more than 400 people, one third of whom were children or senior citizens. Groceries are purchased through the Or- egon Food Bank. A strong supporter of Vernonia Cares Food Bank, the United Way of Columbia County historically has provided about one third of VCFB’s annual budget. All other funds are raised through fund-raisers or direct donations. The generosity of faithful donors who donate food or funds allows VCFB to be a valuable service agency to local people who need grocery assistance. “We are your hands extended to the hungry,” emphasizes VCFB Director Sandy Welch. “One in five people in Oregon goes to bed hungry. Grocery items given in food drives are an example of what helps VCFB stock our shelves. This is a giving and sup- portive community! Financial donations help purchase food, keep the freezers running and keep Vernonia Cares doors open. When donors and volunteers work together, hungry people are fed,” emphasizes Welch. Food donations may be brought to the Food Bank during business hours or arrange- ments made by calling VCFB at 503-429-1414. Tax-deduct- ible monetary contributions may be sent to Vernonia Cares at PO Box 126, Vernonia, OR 97064. r e v o n o p o H Sporty’s! to Happ y Eas ter! 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