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St. Mark's food pantry has fed thousands since 2010 St. Mark's food pantry feeds hundreds each week Comment By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 1, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 1, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News It’s nearly one o’clock on a Thursday afternoon, and a crowd of 50 to 60 gathers outside St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Medford. By 2:30, all these folks will leave the church’s food pantry with large boxes heaped with what for some might be a week’s supply of food. “It’s hard to make it to the end of month,” says Tammy, who declined to give her last name. “This is a big help,” she says about putting food on the table for herself and her three grandchildren. Each week, a dozen volunteers transform the parish hall at the corner of Fifth and Oakdale into a mini farmer’s market where folks can “shop” for farm-fresh produce along with the standard food pantry fare of peanut butter, tuna, chili, soup, rice and beans. A widow and homeless for several years, Tammy says she bounced around staying with family and friends until she landed at her mother’s guest house. Now disabled and unable to work, she takes care of her grandchildren, ages 2, 4 and 5 — two of whom have disabilities — while her daughter works. “Food stamps are not even close to being enough,” she says, adding that the allotment is only for her as her daughter and grandchildren don’t live with her full time. “But this, this is appreciated,” she says, looking at the mounds of fresh broccoli, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, carrots, onions and potatoes. Another woman waiting her turn to shop agrees. “I’d be starving,” says Andrea, who also declined to give her last name. “I’m so grateful the pantry is here.” She says that in the three years since she lost her job, she has struggled to make ends meet. In addition to the produce, a large supply of frozen entrees from Amy’s Kitchen, stacks of canned goods and boxed nonperishables contributed by the congregation, piles of day-old breads and pastries, cartons of eggs, and even toilet paper are available. This January marks the beginning of the seventh year that St. Mark’s has opened its doors weekly to feed the hungry in Medford. All who come have stories, but the volunteers don’t ask many questions of clients, only their name, how many in the family, and how many children. “It’s just heart-warming to be able to help,” says Darlene Hall, who has volunteered since the beginning. “And they are all so appreciative.” Gloria Sanchez, a single mother, comes weekly in an attempt to stretch a food budget that must feed a family of nine children. She’s grateful for the year-round availability of fresh vegetables and fruits, she says. Augustina Cortez, the mother of three, is filling her cupboards before she starts her new job this next week. Sarai Allende, 10, and her younger brother, Isaac, lost their mother and are now living with their aunt. First-time visitors, they grin ear-to-ear and are wide-eyed as they fill their box to the brim with fresh vegetables and treats that typically aren’t in the family’s budget. St. Gregory Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco is the model for St. Mark’s weekly food pantry, says Rita Shale, one of its co-founders. A committee traveled to San Francisco in 2009 to witness the logistics of turning a parish hall into a mini farmer’s market where fresh produce and a variety of foods could be distributed weekly without prerequisites or an application process. St. Gregory’s motto has become St. Mark’s: “Share the unconditional welcome offered at Jesus’ table.” The goal, says Kit Nilles, a longtime volunteer with her husband, Jerry, “is to respect the dignity of people.” For many, she adds, “The first time they come is an act of courage. “It’s hard to admit you need help.” In 2015, more than 11,000 were served by the food pantry. According to Nilles’ records that number represents nearly 3,000 families and includes 4,500 children. In October alone, the pantry fed 279 families, including 413 children. Since 2010, the yearly average has been around 12,000 served. The peak years were in 2011 and 2012, when more than 13,000 were fed. The pantry’s clientele is mainly at-risk families, single-parent homes and the disabled, but it runs the gamut from college-age young adults and out-of-work professionals to seasonal farm workers and seniors. The focus is not who’s in need, but what they need — healthful, fresh food. Shale said a parishioner, Dr. Christian Mathisen, had for many years wanted to start a food pantry that promoted a healthy diet. Six months prior to opening the pantry, volunteers tilled church-owned property across Fifth Street and invited the neighborhood to plant a community garden. The garden, with 8-by-8-foot or 12-by-12-foot plots “rented” for $20 a year, supplies the food pantry with some of its produce. The Gleaners Network of Southern Oregon provides the other thousands of pounds of produce. The success of the pantry, all of the volunteers will tell you, is a network of community support. The church holds “Food on The Fourth” events every month when parishioners bring in bags of nonperishable foods on the fourth Sunday of the month. The remainder of the canned and boxed food comes from the Medford Food Project. Grants from the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian, Carpenter, Chaney and West foundations to name just a few enable volunteers to purchase eggs, peanut butter, tuna and other protein-rich foods as well as paper products. Bread comes from Table Rock Fellowship pantry as well as local stores who provide day-old products. St. Mark’s effort to feed the poor goes beyond the weekly food pantry hours. The 100 or so who make up St. Mark’s small congregation are having a ripple effect in the community. St. Mark’s bounty is shared weekly with the Family Nurturing Center, Maslow Project, Gospel Rescue Mission and St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Shady Cove. “Nothing goes to waste, and no one goes hungry,” says Shale. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, hundreds of food baskets are distributed too. In the midst of a busy Thursday afternoon filling boxes with broccoli, carrots and potatoes, Shale says that in her professional life, “I never looked forward to a day of work as much as I do this.” Reach Grants Pass freelance writer Tammy Asnicar at [email protected]. By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 1, 2016 at 12:01 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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