The Ocean Shores Food Bank relies on donations from individuals, businesses, and community organizations to fulfill its mission “so no one in our community goes hungry.” Your support has helped us toward fulfilling that goal making 2016 another remarkable year. We continue to see only modest growth in food bank usage, but growth nonetheless. The hunger problem is not going away; yet working together we can help those individuals and families who need our help.
Food Distributions
For those of you less familiar with the Ocean Shores Food Bank, we are open for distributions twice a month on the first and third Thursdays. In addition, we have special distributions at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Emergency food is available six days a week through the assistance of the Anchor Avenue Thrift Store.
Where do our donations come from and how are those funds spent?
In 2016, 88 percent of our donations came from individuals and families; and 12 percent from businesses and community organizations. Out of those donations, we were able to purchase 25 tons of food, as well as pay the rent, utilities, insurance, and other administrative expenses.
To help you understand the scope of our mission, following are some statistics from 2016.
• Households Served: 4,553 households / averaging 160-plus per distribution
• Individuals Served: 13,366 individuals (240 infants, 2,530 children, 6,421 adults, 4,175 seniors)
• Emergency Food: Averages 50/households per month
All-Volunteer Organization
We are an all-volunteer organization. Last year over fifty volunteers donated 7900 hours of their time. Our volunteers perform a range of duties including stocking shelves, unloading trucks, picking up food in Aberdeen and Hoquiam, cleaning the facility, repackaging bulk foods, registering clients, staffing counters during distribution, assisting clients to their cars or the bus, working in the garden, staffing tables at local events, helping with the annual fundraising event, and preparing reports for the various agencies that provide us with food. Our Board of Directors, also volunteers, provide many hours of guidance and direction.
How Much Food Did We Distribute in 2016?
Last year we distributed 96 tons of food. Where does the food come from? Hunger relief agencies such as Northwest Harvest, Food Lifeline, TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program), and Coastal Harvest gave us approximately 56 tons (58 percent) of food. Individual donations, community events, and local organizations provided 15 tons (16 percent). And, with your generous donations we were able to purchase 25 tons (26 percent) of food.
Shop, Choose, Use and Enjoy
So, you may be asking, why purchase food? Since we use a grocery store shopping model, we try to provide Standard Menu items. It is sometimes necessary to purchase some of those items if they have not been donated to us by the hunger relief agencies. If clients know they can count on us for certain foods it helps them use their grocery dollars more effectively.
Fresh Produce
One of the highlights for our clients is the fresh produce we are able to provide during the summer months. Utilizing eight beds at Garden by the Sea, last year volunteers worked 135 hours and produced 400 pounds of produce such as kale, cabbage, lettuce, radishes, and carrots.
What else do we distribute?
Through designated funds and donated items, we are able to offer the following:
Pet Food – Thanks to a donation from Woof-a-thon each year, we are able to provide pet food. Most of our clients have pets who may be their only companion. They are truly delighted when we offer dog and cat food.
Books – Books for Kids Program – Thanks to several designated cash donations and many used book donations, we are able to provide books to kids. Typically we give away 150 books per month. In December as Christmas gifts, we gave away a record 492 books in one month.
Schools Supplies –Each August a band of our hearty volunteers head into Aberdeen to spend the day opening, sorting and packing bags with age appropriate school supplies for our next distribution.
Kids Summer Lunches – In conjunction with Northwest Harvest, we offer extra bags of kid-friendly food to families during the months of July and August.
Warm Coats – Thanks, again, to the partnership with Anchor Avenue Thrift Store, we are able to offer clients free coats and jackets.
What else do we do?
Nutritional Awareness Program – Last fall we began a Nutritional Awareness Program. We focus on the nutritional benefits of various foods, provide food samples with recipes, and bag stuffers with various kinds of nutritional information.
Transportation: Thanks to our partnership with Galilean Lutheran Church, transportation or food delivery is provided each distribution day to those who need this service. Many clients aren’t able to drive and either walk or ride bicycles to the food bank or depend on others for transportation.
Annual Fundraiser – Elvis is in the House! No Foolin’, April 1.
Relive the King of Rock and Roll at the Ocean Shores Food Bank’s live “Illusion of Elvis” performance with Danny Vernon on Saturday, April 1, 2017, at the Ocean Shores Convention Center. The evening begins at 4:30 PM with a Silent Auction, Hawaiian Luau catered by Executive Chef George Lee at 6:00 PM, and Danny Vernon at 7:30 PM. Tickets may be purchased at the Visitor Information Center or through any volunteer; but hurry, they are going fast.
Check us out online
Don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and our Website, www.oceanshoresfoodbank.org. For your convenience, you may now donate online. It’s easy. Log into our website, fill in the donation amount, select “monthly” for recurring donations, enter your credit card information, and submit. Or, you may mail donations to P.O. Box 1293, Ocean Shores, WA 98569.
Sandra L. Harley, Executive Director
