HELP AVAILABLE OVER THE HOLIDAYS
Community members in need of a meal, food or items to stay warm (such as sleeping bags, jackets and socks), have options available in Willits over Christmas week, which coincides with the first week of winter this year.
Willits Daily Bread serves four evening meals every week to anyone who is hungry. Meals are available Monday-thursday from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Organizer Cindy Savage said they will be handing out a special holiday meal on December 23, including a hot dish and a sub sandwich. While Savage has been managing the organization, Hayden Gonzales, Ethan Montoya and Annalee Olsen have been distributing the meals. Savage says they have been giving out approximately fifty meals per day. Willits Daily Bread could use cookie donations to be distributed with the holiday meal. Cookies can be dropped off Christmas week Monday through Wednesday between 4-5:30 p.m. or Thursday between 4- 4:30 p.m. at the same location meals are served at; St. Francis in the Redwood Episcopal Church on 66 East Commercial Street.
Willits Daily Bread could also use donations of warm weather gear to distribute with meals. Savage said, “If anybody has sleeping bags and coats, they can drop anytime while we are there that would be great.” Socks are also greatly appreciated.
Willits Community Service & Food Bank will have their normal food box pickup on Dec. 22 from 1-4:30 p.m. at 229 East San Francisco Street. They offer a variety of items, depending on what they have available; fresh produce, meat, bread, cereal, cheese, beans, rice and eggs are items they regularly hand out. They are also handing out special holiday meals to families with children, including turkeys. The Food Bank will be closed on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, open Dec. 29. Typical food box distributions are on Wednesday and Fridays from 1-4:30 p.m.
On Saturdays in Bud Snider Park, there is a brown bag lunch available for free from 1-2 p.m. Brown Bag lunch is put on by a variety of organizations who rotate, taking turns with the food preparation and distribution. When it is raining, they distribute lunches across the street under the awning at City Hall.
Every Christmas Day since 2004, Community Crossroads of Mendocino County hands out meals at Bud Snider Park (they move across the street to City Hall in the event of rain). Organizer Shannon Demuth said they will be there from 1-3 p.m. this year handing out the meals and also warm weather gear such as sleeping bags, plastic sheeting, tarps, socks and jackets.
Demuth, along with some help, prepares 80 meals on Christmas Eve to hand out on Christmas Day. They aim to provide enough food to last the entire day. Huge
turkey and ham sandwiches on sourdough rolls will be distributed. Demuth explained it takes two turkeys and one ham to make the eighty sandwiches. Aside from the sandwiches, bags include socks, fruit, juice, water, nuts, trail mix and occasionally baked goods.
This year Simantha Karp, Alyssa Scarberry, Amy Fox, Alice Valdez, Colleen Mcnutt, AJ Anderson, Scott Fredrick, Glen Helton and Bill Cannon helped out. Village Liquor and Market at the bottom of Brooktrails provides free coffee throughout the distribution every Christmas and Printing Plus makes flyers every year.
Aside from filling bellies, the food handout embraces the spirit of Christmas and celebrating a sense of community. Demuth said, “It’s important to have the feeling of community.”