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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 22, 2019)
A10 THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, JuNE 22, 2019 Photos by Katie Frankowicz/The Astorian Grace Taylor, inventory specialist for the Clatsop Community Action Regional Food Bank, maneuvers a pallet of fresh milk at the food bank’s warehouse Thursday. Food bank: ‘These great commodities ... have enhanced people’s diet’ ‘WHEN yOu’RE dEALING WITH dONATIONS ANd THINGS LIKE THAT, OuR INVENTORy’S ALWAyS EXPANdING ANd CONTRACTING. yOu JuST HAVE TO BE FLEXIBLE.’ Continued from Page A1 After the Trump admin- istration slapped China with billions of dollars of tariffs on imported goods, China hit back with tariffs on Ameri- can agricultural products. In May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced an aid package for American food producers and farmers with the federal government buying up surplus commod- ities that would typically be sold overseas. Now this excess food is getting funneled into the nation’s emergency food supply, bringing fresh milk, pork products, bags of apples and oranges, nuts, eggs and more to North Coast food pantries. “So, good stuff that often- times we don’t see in food banking, or don’t see in the volumes that we’re seeing right now,” said Dusten Mar- tin, chief operations officer for the regional food bank, which operates a pantry out of its Warrenton warehouse and distributes food to other aid organizations and emer- gency food pantries in Clat- sop County. Hundreds of companies and trade groups continue to push President Donald Trump for a resolution to the trade dispute with China ahead of a meeting between the president and Chi- nese President Xi Jinping expected to occur next week. They argue that the ongoing tariffs hurt American busi- nesses and consumers. U.S. farmers have been hit hard. Despite a $16 bil- lion aid package unveiled Follow us on Facebook! facebook.com/ DailyAstorian Grace Taylor | inventory specialist for Clatsop Community Action Regional Food Bank Grace Taylor inspects a food delivery at a warehouse in Warrenton. in late May, they are con- tending with low prices and record rainfall in the Mid- west that delayed planting. The food that local pan- tries are receiving as a result of the trade war is one of the few positive notes, Martin said. A USDA commodi- ties program has long sup- plied items to the regional food bank, but thanks to the recent federal aid package and the surge in food avail- able, the food bank distrib- uted more than 140,000 pounds of food in May. A record, Martin said. On average, about 1.6 million pounds of food a year is collected on behalf of the regional food bank and its partner food pantries. Of that, close to 1.2 million pounds gets distributed from the food bank’s Warren- ton facility. The food bank distributes around 100,000 pounds of food each month from the warehouse alone. “These great commodi- ties coming from the federal programs have enhanced people’s diet here,” Mar- tin said. But the demand for food locally has remained consistently high — “as con- sistent as it was during the Great Recession,” he said. On Thursday, almost everything Taylor and other food bank staff and vol- unteers unloaded off a semitruck at the Warrenton warehouse came from the USDA. Canned pears, sacks of rice, refried beans, more Benefit More From Your Giving The rates for charitable gift annuiti es —gift s that pay you income for life—are the highest they’ve been in years! You’ll receive more income when you give this type of gift to the OHSU Foundati on, making it the perfect ti me to take advantage of this special opportunity. Plus, you’ll feel good knowing you’re making a signifi cant impact on the future of OHSU. How It Works OREGON CAPITAL INSIDER Get the inside scoop on state government and politics! We’re investing in Salem coverage when other news organizations are cutting back. OregonCapitalInsider.com milk. Record-breaking though the May food distribution number was, it is a bar the food bank could hit every month if they always had that much food available to hand out to people. “The need is there,” Mar- tin said. “It’s really about getting our hands on the inventory.” Taylor is happy to see the USDA food arrive, but she’s realistic about it. Many of the USDA items are find- ing shelf space in warehouse bays where she has seen a gradual decline in other donations. “When you’re dealing with donations and things like that, our inventory’s always expanding and con- tracting,” Taylor said. “You just have to be flexible.” With a charitable gift annuity, you make a donati on using cash, marketable securiti es or other assets, and we, in turn, pay you a fi xed amount for life. 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