Food Banks In Vancouver Wa

A Christmas Letter Of Gratitude

“We wanted to sincerely say THANK YOU to all the wonderful families that have helped our family out this Christmas with a food box and presents for our two sons. You have made our two sons delighted and filled with joy this Christmas. May the Lord bless every family who donated their time and finances to bless us and make this happen. We are praying to God to continue to bless your ministry so you could impact even more people’s lives.

We are also grateful for all the food donations we have received thus far, which has positively impacted our family.

Thank you for being in our community and showing God’s love to everyone who comes in need.

Wishing everyone the most happiest New Year!!! “

From a family of four- December 2020

Clark County Food Bank

Volunteers are a big part of the Clark County Food Bank. They assist with everything, including packaging and sorting food, cleaning facilities and making deliveries.

According to Aubrey Kaahanui, volunteer coordinator at the Clark County Food Bank, the number of volunteers at the organization ebbs and flows as COVID-19 cases rise and fall. During this latest surge, however, many new volunteers have joined to help at a time of great need.

The loss has been made up in part with many, many new volunteers, said Clark County Food Bank president Alan Hamilton. The supply chain of people, so to speak, is still pretty strong.

Thanks to community donations, the organization hasnt experienced a dramatic decrease in food due to supply chain issues. In fact, community donations have allowed the organization to function at full capacity throughout the pandemic, even during this latest surge.

When the need arises, were going to get help from individuals, families, schools, institutional business donors and foundations locally, Hamilton said. Its been overwhelming in many ways, because theres been such generosity. Likewise, weve had maybe more food donated than weve had in the past, even though its harder for many people to donate it.

TO HELP: People interested in donating or volunteering can learn more at clarkcountyfoodbank.org.

Meals On Wheels People

While not a food bank, Meals on Wheels People in Clark County is also experiencing challenges due to the omicron surge. Staffing is its biggest challenge.

Each week, we receive calls from staff who are out either because they are sick or are isolating because they came in contact with someone who had COVID, said Meals on Wheels People Executive Director Suzanne Washington.

The Diner Vancouver, the restaurant run by the organization at 5303 E. Mill Plain Blvd., had to close for about a week in January due to staffing shortages, Washington said.

Its difficult to hire on-call employees to cover for all the staff who are out due to the training needed, she said. With that said, we are hanging in there and hopeful things will get back on track soon.

Supply chain issues and inflation have also impacted the organization.

Along with delays in deliveries, weve had to be flexible in order to purchase quality food, Washington said. With the cost of food doubling, tripling in some cases, our need to fundraise only increases.

To accommodate its clients with fewer volunteers, the organization has had to make some changes.

During the pandemic, we adjusted our daily food delivery to once a week delivering larger quantities of food to homebound older adults, Washington said. This has allowed us to maintain our current volunteer drivers while ensuring each of our clients has enough food each week.

Also Check: St Mary’s Food Bank Donation

Food Banks In Vancouver Wa

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Shopping Style Food Pantry

Our shopping style food pantry provides a well-balanced healthy emergency food box to individuals and families who live in Clark County. When visiting our site you will be able to choose your food as you shop with one of our volunteers. Many of our offerings include fresh produce, meat, dairy and can goods. Click for more info.

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Surge Strains Clark County Organizations As Volunteers Donations Drop Off

Food banks in Clark County are experiencing a shortage of volunteers as the omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to spread widely throughout the community.

Regular volunteers are calling out sick at greater rates, and some are staying home to minimize contact with others until the surge abates. Additionally, supply chain issues are impacting food supply, and many food banks are having to make do with less.

Local food banks including the Clark County Food Bank and FISH of Vancouver have been grappling with these issues since the beginning of the pandemic. Through trial and error, they have learned how to deal with fewer volunteers and a diminished food supply, but the latest surge is still impacting operations.

Frequently Asked Questions And Answers

What are some popular services for food banks?

Some popular services for food banks include:

What are people saying about food banks in Vancouver, WA?

This is a review for food banks in Vancouver, WA:

“What better day to write a review and Thank the Oregon Food bank than on Thanksgiving eve ! It has always been a great charitable institution and a nice place to volunteer. They are doing some amazing work at Portland state university to support and help students and the food quality and quantity is always appreciable .There is indeed some sorting and picking to be done however most of the times the food quality is good . I recommend checking for dates on perishables if you are picking up stuff . As volunteer there is a variety of tasks that you could help contribute to and the people working here are always friendly and kind . Kudos to the great work they do !”

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Local Food Banks Promote A Legacy Of Food Access And Equality

Clark Countys desire to meet the basic needs of its most vulnerable community members can be traced back to at least 1873, when the Clark County poor farm opened its garden rows for an honest days work in exchange for food. Located on Northeast 78th Street in Hazel Dell, what is now known as the Heritage Farm was the beginning of what would become the Clark County Food Bank.

According to Clark County Food Bank Director of Communications Matt Edmonds, a number of hunger relief agencies came together, concluded there is strength in numbers and formed the Clark County Food Coalition in the mid- to late 1980s. During the 2008 recession, the coalition witnessed an enormous amount of Clark County families get pushed below the poverty line. This was the impetus for the Clark County Food Bank, which opened its doors in 2012.

As Edmonds explains it, the mission of Clark County Food Bank is to grow new hunger relief programs and move clients out of poverty and towards food stability.

Working with 40 community programs throughout Clark County, Clark County Food Bank targets neighborhoods where there are barriers between food and people and plugs in food pantries. Angels of God on Andresen Road, and East Vancouver Community Church and Neighbors Helping Neighbors in Ridgefield are just a few examples of these pantry sites.

He went on to report that last year, through their Grocery Store Recovery Program, 1.5 million pounds of food was donated by local grocery stores in Clark County.

Food Is Health Food Is Oxygen Food Is A Basic Human Right And So Much More

FISH of Vancouver provides nutritionally-balanced food without charge to anyone declaring their need. We know that healthy foods lead to an infant developing properly, a child’s success in the classroom, a family with food in the refrigerator or an elder staying healthy. Food provides energy…and hope.OUR OPEN HOURS: We combat hunger Monday through Friday, 10 am to 2 pm and the fourth Saturday of each month, 10 am to noon plus off-site locations, FISH combats food insecurity each day. Join us!

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Clark County And Vancouver Food Banks

Clark County Washington food pantries provide free groceries and meals to the low income and needy across the area and in Vancouver Washington. The centers can provide hot or cold meals, groceries, perishable items, and emergency boxes of food. Seasonal services from the non-profits range from Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and gifts to Meals on Wheels and other aid.

Many of the food pantries across the region, including in Vancouver, also can provide other forms of help in addition to food. For example, many of the pantries distribute clothing, household products, and personal hygiene items to individuals and families. Or very low income families can apply for public benefits, such as those offered by USDA. They can also direct individuals to financial and government assistance programs, such as LIHEAP, rent assistance and food stamps.

Battleground Adventist Community ServicesAddress – 11117 NE 189th Street Suite 100Battle Ground, Washington 98604Main phone number – 687-3459Various services are offered for the needy in the Clark County area, including meals, perishable items, free food, and clothing.

North County Community Food Bank – Clark County WashingtonFood banks location 17 NE Third AvenueBattle Ground, Washington 98604

What We Do

Learn about the variety of programs offered by North County Community Food Bank. From classes on: healthy cooking, nutrition, budgeting, financial planning, job search, interviewing & first day preparation, and more for all ages. We not only fight hunger, we build confidence, instill hope and develop stronger individuals.

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