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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Healthcare, housing on council agenda ... Mocha Musings: To open new doors, step outside your own ... Ticket availability ... Healthcare, housing on council agenda ... Mocha Musings: To open new doors, step outside your own ... Ticket availability ... PHILANTHROPY Rotary, Walker students team up to help Food Bank Club donates seeds, fourth-graders grow food to donate Comment By Caitlin Fowlkes For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Caitlin Fowlkes For the Tidings Posted Jun. 5, 2016 at 4:31 PM Updated Jun 6, 2016 at 11:56 AM By Caitlin Fowlkes For the Tidings Posted Jun. 5, 2016 at 4:31 PM Updated Jun 6, 2016 at 11:56 AM » Social News Fourth graders are feeding the hungry in Ashland. Two fourth-grade classes from Walker Elementary School teamed up with the Ashland Rotary Club on Friday to harvest some of the produce they planted in the spring. The classes of teachers Dylana Garfas-Knowles and Jennifer Parks harvested 60 pounds of kale, peas and spinach to donate to the Ashland Emergency Food Bank. Mark Jaffe, garden chair of the Ashland Rotary Club, brought seeds to the fourth grade classes in early spring, according to Garfas-Knowles. The students grew the seedlings in the Walker Elementary greenhouse for about a month before Jaffe transferred the plants to the Rotary Club gardens with help of Rotary volunteers. Besides harvesting the plants that were ready on Friday and donating them to the food bank, students also toured the Food Bank and volunteered to help. In 2015, the Rotary Club refurbished the Walker greenhouse, according to Jaffe. This is the third year that the school has worked with the club to grow produce. Jaffe volunteers in Parks’ classroom at least weekly, according to Parks. “This is the first time that we’re doing just the fourth-grade classes,” said Jaffe. “It’s working really well. It hasn’t always worked as well with different aged kids.” The Rotary Club has donated an average of 2,000 pounds of food to the Food Bank every year since 2010, according to Jaffe. “As we are entering summer break, we want the kids to walk away with a sense of how to make the world a better place and what they can do to benefit their community,” said Parks. Local stores and growers provide the food bank with a steady flow of seasonal types of food. Donated money goes to refrigerated items such as meat, eggs and dairy, and everything else is donated by the community. The Ashland Food Project serves the Food Bank as well, bringing in a large amount of food once every two months, according to Pat O’Scannell, Ashland Food Bank board member. “In between those two months, the shelves can get pretty bare,” said O’Scannell. “We rely on the community for our food. Most of what we have is community donations.” Part of the Food Bank’s mission is to serve healthy food, so fresh produce is always offered first, according to O’Scannell. Food Bank volunteers lead shoppers with a point system determined by the amount of people in the shopper’s family. This allows everyone to take about a week to two weeks’ worth of food. Shoppers may use the food bank once a month or pick up half their amount of allowed food twice a month. The points are used for different foods and household goods. The food bank also has a free table along the back wall, where most of the community donations go, according to O’Scannell. “It just depends on the day,” said O’Scannell. “Sometimes it’s empty and sometimes it’s full. Today looks like it’ll be a full day.” The Ashland Emergency Food Bank is a nonprofit founded in 1972 in the basement of Trinity Church. Donated food helps feed 500 to 600 families a month. That’s around 15,000 people per year, according to Pam Marsh, director of the food bank. Most food banks are government-funded and are much larger organizations. Ashland’s Food Bank receives about 350,000 pounds of food a year and is more health-conscious than most. Shoppers are allowed to select their food rather than being handed a pre-prepared box. “The people that live in Ashland donate very high quality food because we are such a healthy community,” said Marsh. “We want to give people as many healthy options as possible.” 75 percent of people who use the food bank are housed; of those, 25 percent are children. Email Tidings intern at [email protected]. By Caitlin Fowlkes For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Caitlin Fowlkes For the Tidings Posted Jun. 5, 2016 at 4:31 PM Updated Jun 6, 2016 at 11:56 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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