FISH food bank: 'We need a lot more'

By KIRBY NEUMANN-REA
News editor

People are hungry and FISH is busy.

The food bank outlets in Hood River, Odell and Parkdale are serving approximately 3,400 county residents — that’s 900 families including 100 families that registered in the past month alone.

Yet the shelves are getting spare.

“Donations are down, so it’s been a little trickier,” said Lorinda Hoffman, the Hood River food bank coordinator.

“We had to cut back a little on what we’re distributing, but this is when we get the majority of our donations for the year so we are hoping things go well this season,” she said.

“We need a lot more food.”

FISH has seen two significant operational changes in 2010: First, the addition of a third location, in the same building at St. Francis House in Odell.

Second, recipients were re-registered in June of this year and given punch cards, to improve how well FISH monitors who is getting monthly food baskets.

“It’s much easier to keep track,” Hoffman said. A family is limited to one basket per month. “This helps us coordinate between the three sites,” she said.

FISH relies on local donations, both monetary and actual food (see sidebar for how to help) and it makes bulk purchases via Oregon Food Network.

The Hood River FISH operation did not see an increase in its network allotment with the addition of the Odell site.

“We have additional needs for food but we haven’t really been getting additional donations,” Hoffman said. “We’ve been stretched a little thin,” she said.

“We get our allotted amount, and it doesn’t matter if we have a new site,” she said. “But everyone needs it,” she said of network assistance. “I think food that has been available to them has been down.”

On the plus side, local FISH outlets have been getting more USDA products, including chicken, and church donations last week enabled volunteers to purchase turkeys for families to cook at Thanksgiving.

Through the work of volunteer coordinator Billie Stevens, the only paid FISH employee, there is now a well-organized volunteer base for all three sites.

Among the new services Stevens provides is a monthly newsletter to volunteers and supporters.

HOW TO HELP,
HOW TO GET HELP

n Monetary donations can be mailed to FISH treasurer Becky Bugge, 3481 Ehrck Hill Road, Hood River, OR 97031

n Donation bins are located at all three outlets.

n You can give food to volunteers who are present at the Hood River site, on June street one block east of 12th Street on the Heights, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9-11 a.m.

n Buy a $5 or $10 bag of groceries at Rosauers; they are kept at the store for volunteers to pick up and deliver to the food banks.

n Remember: non-perishable food items only.

n What’s most needed?

Tuna, soups and stews, and vegetable oil.

“It is spendy to buy but people use vegetable oil a lot,” said Lorinda Hoffman.

FISH hours:

n Hood River: Monday, 4-5 p.m., Wednesday, 4-5:30, Friday 4-5; Saturday 10-noon,

n Parkdale: Monday 4-6 p.m., in Community Church

n Odell: Thursday 4-6 p.m., St. Francis House, Odell Highway and Davis Road.