Season of Sharing is the bedrock of Food Bank's support system
FORT BRAGG, CA >> The Fort Bragg Food Bank Season of Sharing fundraiser is in full swing and will continue through January 15, 2024. The annual event is the bedrock of the Food Bank's donation support system, and every year, the local community's generosity supports the Food Bank's mission.
Its stated mission is “to provide nutritious food that supports people in creating a healthy and better life.” According to Operations Coordinator Lisi Horstman, with the donations from Season of Sharing 2023, the Fort Bragg Food Bank will better fulfill the emphasis on nutrition.
Horstman noted that many clients have recently commented on some bare pantry shelves. The situation is a designed element of the Food Bank's shift to fresh foods and produce to provide their clients with the most nutritious diet possible.
Although canned foods will continue to be distributed, they will no longer be a fundamental component of the pre-packed items selected for families.
Horstman explained, “We have been receiving so much fresh produce donated to us that we're trying to shift our whole food bank outlook to be heavy in produce because we're the Mendocino Food and Nutrition Program, and our mission is to provide nutritious food.” She added, “The most nutritious food you can get is produce.”
With the acquisition of the large warehouse in Willits, the nonprofit Mendocino Food and Nutrition Program is moving its base of operations to Willits. The Fort Bragg Food Bank on North Franklin Street will remain intact as the flagship of twenty pantry locations and pop-ups across the western part of the county.
Due to the increased volume of donated and purchased food, the Fort Bragg location can no longer store all the inventory of fresh food pallets. Although the COVID emergency is over, Executive Director Amanda Friscia reported that families needing food support have increased during 2023.
Horstman stated, “The goal for 2024 is to offer our clients mostly produce with a few shelf staple items. That switch is a challenge because many people are used to getting their canned food.”
She continued, “We are shifting to offer more produce, a greater variety, more of it California grown, and organic when it's available because it is gluten-free, vegan, and covers all the bases.”
With twenty locations to serve in 2024, Horstman said that the plan was to balance food distribution better so that all sites have equal access to staples and fresh items. She added that the Food Bank is always looking for volunteers to help at other local sites to keep them fully stocked.
Currently, the Food Bank has contracts with three local growers and is looking for grant funds to source food from more local farms. However, the Food Bank will continue to provide items such as rice, dried beans, canned items, bread, eggs, and one meat protein when available.
Horstman commented, “We're like a thrift store. We distribute what we have.” However, what they have now differs from what was available during the COVID-19 emergency. Horstman noted that people were encouraged to use food banks during that time.
Since then, the Food Bank's transition from full provision to a support system is underway. “Now,” Horstman said, “food banks are not expected to be your sole food source. It's a supplemental program. It will lower your grocery bill but will not eliminate it.”
This shift led the Food Bank to supply Laytonville with a second monthly distribution. The community no longer has a grocery store, and its pantry inventory was inadequate for the population served. Clients were driving to Fort Bragg for food basics available twice a week.
On the one hand, the focus on fresh foods may seem impractical for pantry and pop-up sites that distribute only once a month. Horstman said, “We want to educate people about the nutritious foods, what they should be eating, and how to preserve or help their food stay fresher longer.”
On the other hand, it is less costly for producers to sell fresh rather than canned produce. Horstman listed canning and freezing as the top two methods of at-home food preservation.
For example, she said that onions can be frozen as well as homemade tomato paste. Green onions, celery, and romaine lettuce can grow in water after top-cutting. “You can sprout a lot right on your window sill,” said Horstman. “No garden required.”
The success of the Food Bank's Turkey Challenge fundraiser in November provided holiday meat to all the sites. Donated funds remain and will be applied to Season of Sharing food distributions. As a tradition, any donated food items for holiday bags are always welcome.
Horstman also stressed the value of monetary donations as the heart of the Season of Sharing. “I could probably feed an entire family with ten dollars,” she surmised. Her access to food resources far exceeds what a dollar can buy at the local grocery store.
Season of Sharing fulfills and also best represents the stated vision of the Mendocino Food and Nutrition Program: “people coming together to create hope for a dignified, abundant life for everyone.” Below are ways to help their mission and vision, along with a list of 2023 donations made in another person's name.
Community members can support the Fort Bragg Food Bank during this Season of Sharing in various ways. Monetary donations can be made in memory of or in honor of someone important to you. Because the 2023 list is extensive, donors will be recognized on the Fort Bragg Food Bank website unless you prefer to remain anonymous.
Because the Food Bank is a nonprofit, all financial donations are tax-deductible. Donations can be made on the Food Bank's website at FortBraggFoodBank.org. Mastercard and Visa are accepted.
Checks can be mailed to Fort Bragg Food Bank, P.O. Box 70, Fort Bragg, CA 95437. Use the memo area on the check to indicate S.O.S. and any person's name you may wish to honor. Checks can also be delivered in person to the Food Bank located at 910 North Franklin Street, Fort Bragg, CA.
Food donations for holiday distribution boxes are welcome, and there is a holiday barrel curbside for dropoffs. If you have any spare hours, consider asking the Food Bank what you can do to help out. Winter vegetables from your garden and fruit from your orchard can be donated to the Farm Stand.
Beginning in 2024, The Fort Bragg Food Bank will be open to clients for one weekly visit on Mondays and Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:50 p.m. The Food Bank will be closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays to distribute food to its outlying pantries. Curbside pickup at the Food Bank will still be available Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to Noon.
If you think you or your family may qualify to become Food Bank clients, stop by; staff is available to help you with the paperwork.
Below are the 2023 honor and memorial donations.
In Honor Of: Alicia Kafin; Frank & Susan Fields; Linda Banta; SDSC & the AN/MB Gang; First Presbyterian Church; Highlight Gallery Inc.; Marty & Stella; Mark Vergge; Eleanor Riley; Jane O'Reiley; Family Members; Tony Brazill; Ellen Lara; and, Jim & Marsha Jeffries.
In Memory Of: Nonie and Fred Grass; My Mom; Patricia Marien; Joe Moura; Susan M. Hopkins; Fritzi Einhorn; Ralf Severy; Jack Price; Tony Anderson; David Gross; Rory Salo; William “Robbie” Robinson; Kelly Hamaker; Suzanne Rush; Chuck & Gloria Bearden; Adrienne Ross; Antonio Furtado; Kathy Griggs; Steve Aven; Robert Bergmann; Bill Spear; Hector Magana; Henry Holmes; Jim Britt; Wayne Swanson; and, John Nielson.