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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 Herb Rothschild Jr.: Making sense of UCC ... Police giving away trick-or-treat bags ... Ashland author memorializes slain UCC professor in poem ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Making sense of UCC ... Police giving away trick-or-treat bags ... Ashland author memorializes slain UCC professor in poem ... ASHLAND RUNS ON VOLUNTEERS Hands needed to help Food Bank with bi-monthly drive Comment By Mary I. Coombs For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Mary I. Coombs For the Tidings Posted Jul. 28, 2015 at 2:00 AM By Mary I. Coombs For the Tidings Posted Jul. 28, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Social News The Ashland Emergency Food Bank has been a valued institution in Ashland for over 40 years. It eventually became an independent nonprofit, but it maintains close ties to many local faith-based institutions, several of whom provided the initial impetus for it. A few years ago it moved to its current site at 560 Clover Lane (just south of Exit 14 on I-5). The building had been a Kentucky Fried Chicken and A&W Root Beer; the walk-in freezer and refrigerators from the prior tenants are put to good use by the Food Bank. The Food Bank provides food to about 600 households (1,500 children and adults) a month. People who live in Ashland, Talent and surrounding areas or state that they are homeless are eligible; they can “shop” the Food Bank once a month and the amount that they can take is determined by household size and composition (number of adults and children). There is no financial screening, though anonymous surveys show that the population served is low-income. Unlike many food banks, customers are treated as customers: they are not given a prepackaged box of foods but allowed to shop the shelves with a volunteer guide, picking out for themselves among choices of fruits, proteins, canned vegetables, cereals, etc., along with bread, eggs, milk and fresh seasonal vegetables, as well as some hygiene products and pet foods. There are also prepared bags for “travelers” of foods that don’t need preparation, such as peanut butter and protein bars, as well as bread. Some of the volunteers — who call themselves “bag ladies,” have also begun preparing bags, with a recipe stapled to the outside and all the needed ingredients inside to make it easier for customers with families to prepare healthy meals. The philosophy of the Food Bank is to empower and respect its customers. The food comes from a variety of sources: donations by community members, by some local groceries, including Albertson's, Shop'N Kart and the Ashland Food Co-op, plus bread donations from local bakeries and donations through Food Angels. Fresh produce also comes from a few raised beds at the back of the Food Bank property, as well as donations from people’s gardens. They are awaiting the annual donations of zucchini from community gardeners whose planting exceeded their needs! In addition to the shelves of food, the front room has a small play area for children to use while their parents wait their turn or shop, a computer for customer use and information about a wide variety of other community services that may be of value to customers. Back rooms and freezer/refrigerators contain additional food, organized for ready accessibility. The Food Bank’s current volunteer roster is largely sufficient for the day-to-day work of intake of the customers, walking them through the shopping and stocking/restocking the shelves. They do need more volunteer help, however, in the every-other-month Ashland Food Project food drive. It takes place on the second Saturday of every even-numbered month from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The next one is on Aug. 8. This is when all the green bags of food that people in the community fill are collected and brought to the Food Bank through the Ashland Food Project. Unloading all the bags and putting the food away in an organized fashion so that it is ready for customers is a major effort and more volunteers are very much welcome — for the full four hours or as long as you can spare. The Food Bank can also use volunteered “stuff,” as well as time. If you have extra garden produce, bring it by. If you can donate non-perishable foods (or pet food or hygiene products), these are welcome. If you’re not sure what to bring, they can especially use soup, cereals, rice and beans. And if you are feeling generous, they can also use cash donations for purchasing such staples as eggs, milk and winter produce and to cover non-food, but necessary, expenses like utility costs and maintenance. You can also help supply the Food Bank by being part of the Ashland Food Project (www.ashlandfoodproject.com), which is a separate organization managing the collection end of the process of getting food from people who can give it to people that need it, while the Food Bank manages the distribution end. If you want to know more, including days/times when you can bring donated goods, please check the website, www.ashlandemergencyfoodbank.org , email [email protected], or call the manager, Pam Marsh, at 541-488-9544. Mary I. Coombs’ column on local nonprofit organizations appears every three weeks. Email questions and suggestions to [email protected]. By Mary I. Coombs For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Mary I. Coombs For the Tidings Posted Jul. 28, 2015 at 2:00 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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