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SUNNY Temp: 55 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 21, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 23, 2002 West Medford Food Pantry volunteers Alice Ward, left, and Maxine Pittman fill a grocery cart in a front of a packed waiting area. The pantry and its clients are squeezed into the Santo Community Center. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Space squeezes food pantry ACCESS needs larger quarters for its westside distribution — oh, yes, and free of charge By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune The weekly west Medford free food pantry doesn’t open until 4 p.m. on Fridays, but on a recent hot afternoon, every seat in the place was filled by 3:45 p.m. Some two dozen people — old, young, disabled, mothers with toddlers — squeezed elbow-to-elbow into tiny quarters at the Santo Community Center in Medford. That left Janice Schelin, 39, and her 7-year-old son, Chris, to perch outside on yellow plastic chairs, where the neighborhood resident prepared for a long wait to get groceries. "It will be at least an hour and half," said Schelin, who calls herself a housewife. "By 5:30, I’ll be pulling in the driveway." Though Schelin isn’t complaining, organizers for ACCESS Inc. of Medford wince at the crowded conditions and the lengthy wait for free food. They’ve put out a public plea for a new home for the busiest of 16 pantries in the region. "We’re so packed in there," said Russ Koehler, ACCESS resource development director. "The need is outpacing the space." ACCESS has made do for years, but even Medford city officials said it’s time for a change. "It’s a great location, but unfortunately, the kitchen isn’t suitable for their needs," said Tom Hilton of the Medford Parks and Recreation Department. The catch, of course, is that the site at 701 S. Columbus Ave., is free, and that similar suitable locations are difficult to find. The pantry, which serves 150 families a month from west Medford to Jacksonville, must remain in the area, Koehler said. New space would make a considerable difference for folks who seek help, said Mary Ward, who started supervising the site at least three years ago with her husband, Carl. He died in August, but Mary Ward remains committed to the project. "If we had a new place, we would have the people go back and pick the food they wanted," she said. "... We have everything snuggled in around here, food, toilet paper, diapers for the babies." As it is now, clients have to wait out front while ACCESS workers fill boxes for them, distributing meat, cheese, milk, canned goods, cereal, fresh fruit and vegetables. More space would allow people to tailor their food boxes for special diets or preferences, Ward said. For Schelin, the free food boxes distributed by ACCESS go a long way toward supplementing the wages her husband, Gilbert, 39, earns as a construction worker. They’ve both had serious brushes with local law enforcement, police records show, but that doesn’t mean their three children are any less hungry. "The food they give you usually covers about four meals, plus snacks for the kids," said Schelin, whose older children are 16 and 17. "They even have toiletries. It really helps." Chris, a freckle-faced second-grader, noshed happily on juice and cookies while he waited. The ACCESS staff tries to supply snacks, along with kind words and patience, to people waiting for food, Ward said. "This isn’t a fun thing to have to do," she said. "We try to make them as comfortable as possible." Each food box supplies about 45 pounds of food valued at about $75. It’s enough for a family of four for three meals per day for five days, says Koehler. Families are eligible to get food 12 times a year, or once a month. ACCESS requires clients to sign up at the agency, although Ward says emergency assistance is also available once or, at most, twice, without enrolling. "If something terrible happened, you can get some food," she said. A suitable new location for the food pantry is one of several requests ACCESS is making to the community as part of a new outreach effort, Koehler said. The potential site must be at least 15-by- 15 square feet and equipped with electricity, a suitable waiting area and parking. And it must be affordable. "Free," said Koehler, "is good." Potential donors can contact Koehler at 774-4325. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S