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Shelves nearly empty at local food bank storage By AMANDA BOLSINGER For the Tidings At the end of the month, when paychecks have been stretched thin, the Ashland Emergency Food Bank may be the only option for some Ashland and Talent residents. Lately, that's happening to a lot of folks, virtually cleaning out the shelves of the food bank's storage. Ashland resident Donna Conooelies (front) puts food into a bag as President Joan Dean checks the list at the Ashland Food Emergency Bank. Ashland Daily Tidings/SATSUKI DOI Donna Cornelius of Ashland shopped through the food bank on Friday with AEFB President Joan Dean. Cornelius, who volunteers time at the food bank, cut back on hours at work due to health problems and needed just a little bit of extra help. She was cheerful and joked about her selections, but there were few choices available. When it was time to pick her vegetables, corn and carrots were the only options. "I'll have carrots. They are great for your eyes, my mom always told me," she said with a laugh while placing the cans in a shopping bag. The food bank provides a three- to five-day emergency supply of food staples such as canned fruits and vegetables, soup and peanut butter. But their supplies have dwindled to only a few boxes of beans and macaroni and cheese. Funds that would normally be used to buy perishable items like milk and eggs are being used just to keep peanut butter and cereal in stock. "We are buying things week to week just trying to keep food on the shelves," Dean said. In May, AEFB's three storage units were full, with over eight tons of food. Now, one of the units is full of empty boxes. The adjacent unit has a few boxes of every type of bean imaginable. "We need soups, tuna, peanut butter, things with protein that can make a hearty meal," Dean said. The food bank also gladly accepts garden produce. "What we need most right now are ongoing donations," said Dean, looking at the empty shelves. "If someone can bring in just one bag of groceries each month, that is a tremendous help." The food bank is entirely a volunteer organization. People in need of assistance can come once a month. "The end of the month and the beginning of the month are the busiest times," said Dean. "It's right before people get paid or they just couldn't quite make it on their paycheck." The amount of food given is based on the number of people needing the provisions. A family of five would receive three items of canned fruits, five soups, five canned vegetables, one box of cereal, four dinner options, nine eggs, three dairy products, three loaves of bread and five proteins. The food bank's next big drive is Supermarket Saturday on Sept. 20. Every local grocery store will list needed items and place donation barrels to collect the goods that day. "The big drives are wonderful," Dean said. "But it's not enough to keep the shelves full." BUG: Anyone interested in volunteering with the food bank can call 488-3441 for more information. Food donations can be taken to the Ashland Emergency Food Bank at 144 N. Second St. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -