Marysville Community Food Bank

Loaves & Fishes

Our Mission

Enhancing the lives

of our neighbors by

nourishing their bodies,

hearts and souls to build

a brighter future.

Board of Directors

President: Mike Mulligan

Vice President: Alonna Chatburn

Secretary: Sherry Haigh

Treasurer: Robyn Warren

Perry McConnell

Daniel Pradera

Andy Smith

Ty Wernet

Food Bank Director Dell Deierling

Assistant Director Amy Howell

Volunteer Coordinator JoAnn Sewell

"God has given us two hands: one to receive with and the other to give with."

Billy Graham

VOLUME 19, ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2019

Newsletter Editor Sherry Haigh

Design Barbara Edmondson

Can You Help with These Holiday Needs?

What Does Hunger Mean to You? September was Hunger Action Month. In response to the above question, these responses were posted on Facebook.

These responses were posted by adults: "I remember my sister stealing money from my mom so we could eat." "Not being able to feed my family." "It brings back terrible memories of a hurting stomach at bedtime." "It reminds me of all the times I had to steal eggplant from my landlord's garden so we'd have something to eat. I hate eggplant to this day." "Not knowing where your next meal will come from." "It means going to Grandma's house. They always welcomed us and we were allowed to raid the refrigerator!" "Putting my son first when it comes to eating, and eating what he has left over on his highchair."

These responses are from children of our clients: "On an empty stomach I can't study or think. It makes me mad!" "I don't have enough energy; It makes learning at school hard."

On a similar note, a new client called us in June after his first visit to thank the Marysville Community Food Bank for the first normal, sit-down dinner his family of three had had after sharing one can of tuna a day for the past week. Thank you, MCFB supporters, for making such a difference in our neighbors' lives!

All-City Food Drive: Nov. 2, 9:00-3:00. Please tell your friends and family to look for the red collection barrels at many local businesses kicking off the holiday season of giving. These barrels will stay in place throughout the holidays. Donations may also be made at the Marysville Community Food Bank or any City building.

Holiday Needs. During the holidays the following are especially needed. Canned goods: canned hams and meats (for our homeless), corn, beans (legumes), fruit, yams, sweet potatoes, cranberries, pumpkin, olives, peanut butter, jelly, cooking oil. Packaged foods: Jell-o, gravy mix, pasta. Frozen items: turkeys, whole chickens, hams. Dairy: butter. Cash donations are always appreciated.

Toy and Gift Collections. The Toy Store will be gratefully accepting donations of new unwrapped toys, books, coats and other gifts for families in need. Drop off gifts at any city building or fire station. Also cash donations for toy purchases are always appreciated. Questions? Contact Christie Veley at (360) 363-8507 or fbanktoystore@gmail.com.

Coat Drive to benefit Toy Store held by Marysville Police Department: Oct. 26 at Fred Meyer; Nov. 2 at Walmart; Nov. 16 at Kohl's/Ross. All events held from 11:00-2:00.

Volunteers Needed! To help at the Marysville Community Food Bank during the busy holiday season, please call (360) 658-1054. Send inquiries about volunteering at the Toy Store to fbanktoystore@gmail.com or call Christie Veley at (360) 363-8507.

V o l u n t e e r s i n t h e S p o t l i g h t We thank all our volunteers, whose hard work and dedication allow us to serve our community. Here are our recent Volunteers of the Month!

May: A Simple Gesture Warriors/Drivers Pictured below, left to right, are Amy Howell, Kathleen Tillman, Donna Bowman, Larry Bowman, Karen Thompson, Lisa Hunter, Mary Jaffee, Steve Kiffe and Jeannie Brooker. Not pictured are Angela Carpenter, Shirley James, Amy Kiffe, Xann Olson and Lilly Tillman. Since the program began two years ago these 'Simple Gesture' volunteers have been driving the streets of Marysville, covering nine routes, picking up 'Cool Green Bags' from participants' doorsteps, replacing them with empty bags and then returning two months later to pick up full ones again. They all share a common commitment of giving back to a community that has given them so much. Thank you, ASG warriors; we wouldn't have this program without you! To participate as a bag recipient or helper, email asimplegesture.mcfb@frontier.com.

June: Howard Southern Over a year ago Howard Southern followed his daugh-ter's suggestion that he volunteer at the Food Bank and he's glad he did. Every Monday and Friday morning he

escorts clients to their cars, always with a smile on his face. He's happy he can help people who need it in this one small way. Having a servant's heart, Howard also volunteers at Wenberg County Park on Lake Goodwin helping with repairs. He's retired from the Northshore School District where he spent 25 years as a custodian. Along with a daughter who lives in Marysville, he has a daughter in Ephrata. In his free time he enjoys creating hooked rugs—some his own design and some from kits—taking as long as six to twelve months to complete! We are grateful, Howard, that your daughter hooked you into helping at the MCFB!

July: The Pickle Family

For the past two years, Phillip (not pictured) and Nicole Pickle and their sons (left to right) Nathaniel, Jeremiah and Joshua have picked up donations from Starbucks and Auntie Anne's. They also make

Food for Thought deliveries on Fridays. Caring for those in need is one of the many lessons the boys are learning as they're homeschooled. In their free time they enjoy cooking, baking, Legos, chess, video games, playing the piano and helping at their church. A Navy family, they served at a food pantry in Virginia, their last assignment, and so thought they'd help out here, too. We're so glad they did! Thank you so much, Pickle family!

August: Saxon White Saxon White has made grocery rescue runs every Monday, Tuesday and first Sunday for the past two years. Having volunteered at a food bank in

Michigan, he thought MCFB may need his help, too. He was certainly right! Saxon spent 35 years as a gourmet chef in high-end restaurants in Alabama. He and his wife, Tina Rogers, have one daughter who is studying pharmacology and toxicology. In his free time Saxon gardens, fishes and trains their two Dutch Shepherds in protection, search and agility—readying them for French Ring competitions. Thank you, Saxon, for giving so much of your time and energy to MCFB. You were just who we needed!

PAGE 2 LOAVES & FISHES OCTOBER 2019

VOLUME 19, ISSUE 3 LOAVES & FISHES PAGE 3

PROVIDING THE BEST SERVICE Clients often tell us we're the best food bank they've ever been to. That's great to hear! We always strive to provide the best service we can for those in need. Eleven years

ago our bigger and better building was opened to accommodate a growing need. Since then we have extended our hours of operation, adjusted our processes to reduce wait time, added a shuttle to transport people home with their groceries, started a food backpack program in schools and much more. Some of the ideas we implemented were our own. Others (most!) were borrowed.

Each change was scary. When we increased how often families could visit us from two to three times a month, I was terrified that we wouldn't be able to support it. We did. Recently we followed what many other food banks were doing by allowing families to come every week. We survived that too! And we are providing better service.

Now we're about to make yet another big change, one that many other food banks have already made that has taken them to the next level, and that was scary but made them much better by serving much better. After the beginning of the new year, we will be switching to what is called a Grocery Store Model. It will open the door to those in need who've been reluctant to seek help due to the traditional way of distributing food. The Grocery Store Model replicates the shopping experience. Customers browse and select for themselves the foods they want. Yes, there will be limits on what a family can have, but many constraints will be removed, thereby bringing more dignity to our clients and making for a more pleasant experience.

With so many other food banks having already successfully adopted the Grocery Store Model, it's time for us to do the same. And with the support of all our extraordinary volunteers and our community, we hope to continue to hear from our clients that we are the best food bank they have ever been to.

Dell Deierling, Director

MCFB

Bulletin

Board

Many Thanks to...

Boy Scout Troop 419 for $1,363 from their Christmas Tree Recycling project.

Community Foundation of Snohomish County for a $2,500 grant for milk.

Force Soccer Team who collected 480 lbs. of food donated by customers during Grocery Outlet's Hunger Action Month in September.

Grocery Outlet's Independence From Hunger Drive in July yielding 5,787 lbs. of food and $7,043.44.

Hayton Farms for 650 pounds of cucumbers.

Holy Cross Church for 1,870 pounds of potatoes from their Giving Garden.

Marysville City Council for an $18,500 Community Development Block Grant for Food for Thought.

Marysville Firefighters Local 3219 whose garage sale raised just over $3,000 for Food for Thought..

Marysville Ford for collecting 1,300 lbs. of peanut butter.

Norcliffe Foundation for a $5,000 grant for Food for Thought.

Sno Isle Food Co-Op for their donation of unclaimed funds totaling $2,768.83.

Sodexo USA for $7,255.63 worth of food donated through the Marysville School District.

Soroptimists of Marysville for a $1,500 grant.

Thank You, Tara Mizell! Due to her new responsibilities as Director of the City of Marysville's Parks and Recreation Department, Tara Mizell, a valued member of our board of directors since 2014, must leave her post here. Tara has worked tirelessly over the past 22 years coordinating the annual All-City Food Drive and Christmas Toy Store, most recently as chairwoman. Her public relations work has been invaluable to the success of these programs plus other Food Bank projects. We are indebted to Tara and hope she will find her way back to us soon!

Special Funds Needed for Generator Donations are needed to fund a commercial propane generator from Arlington Electric that was a store demo model. The $29,000 generator will provide MCFB's electrical needs for coolers, freezers and lighting during a power outage, thus preserving our produce, meat and dairy and allowing us to continue distribution. Additionally, we are designated as a Community Point of Distribution (CPOD) for the city of Marysville in the event of a widespread emergency. Please donate on our website at www.marysvillefoodbank.org, on our Facebook page or by check.

Marysville Community Food Bank 4150 88th Street NE P.O. Box 917 Marysville, WA 98270-0917 (360) 658-1054 marysvillefoodbank@frontier.com www.marysvillefoodbank.org

Does someone you know need services from the Food Bank? Please encourage them to contact us. Clients must bring proof of their Marysville address (PUD bill, phone bill, rent receipt, etc.) showing a 98259, 98270 or 98271 ZIP code. Families need to verify family members living at home with medical coupons, school report cards or forms, etc. Families may come once a week for full service. We are located at 4150 88th Street NE, behind St. Mary's Catholic Church. Distribution days are Tuesdays from 3 to 6 p.m., and Fridays from 9 to 11 a.m. On the last Tuesday of each month, we are open until 6:30 p.m. Seniors age 62 and older and disabled clients are invited to come on Mondays from 9 to 11 a.m., a day specially designated for their service.

Marysville Community Food Bank Supporting Churches

92nd Street Church of Christ

Berean Baptist Church

Bethlehem Lutheran Church

Cascade Christian Reformed Church

Cascade View Presbyterian Church

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Evergreen Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Faith Lutheran Church

The Grove Church

Holy Cross Church

Living Interfaith Church

Marysville Church of the Nazarene

Marysville Community Church

Marysville Foursquare Church

Marysville Seventh Day Adventist Church

Marysville United Methodist Church

Mountain View Presbyterian Church

Second Baptist Church

St. Anne's Catholic Church

St. Mary's Catholic Church

St. Philip's Episcopal Church