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50 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, November 25, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 16, 2004 Lois Talbott rings up a $5 donation to the �Take a Scan Against Hunger� program at Tark�s Market in Talent. ACCESS Inc. has raised nearly $200,000 through the program over six years. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell A bar code for charity Coupons at local stores let customers donate to the Rogue Valley’s needy with an easy scan By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune From her place behind the till of a Tark’s Market cash register, Lois Talbott has a front-row view of compassion. She serves the customers — one here, a few there — who peel off the bar-coded coupons that provide food for Jackson County’s poor, elderly and disabled. And then, when she gets off work, Talbott turns around and joins the "Take a Scan Against Hunger" program herself. "It’s the way I do it," says the 65-year-old checker, demonstrating how she scans a food coupon through her register. "It’s the easy way to do it." Thanks to Tark’s and Talbott and other Rogue Valley stores and shoppers, the six-year-old program run by ACCESS Inc. of Medford has raised nearly $200,000 since its inception, a few dollars at a time. Advertisement The scan coupons will be back in stores from now through this holiday season, when organizers hope they’ll raise an estimated $35,000. That provides about 10 percent of the ACCESS nutrition programs budget, said manager Philip Yates. The program pays for supplies for food pantries, supplemental feeding programs, daily meal preparation for seniors and other services, he added. ACCESS provides food boxes for an estimated 2,700 Jackson County families each month. ACCESS can pay for about six meals for every dollar donated, which means "Take a Scan Against Hunger" could generate 210,000 meals for the area’s hungry. Several area stores post the coupons during the holidays, including Costco, Food 4 Less, Sherm’s Thunderbird and Ashland Shop ’N’ Kart. In fact, Costco’s goal for the season is to raise $25,000, Yates said. A few stores maintain the program year-round, including the Ashland Food Cooperative, PC Market of Choice and, for the first time this year, Tark’s in Talent. "It’s really well-received by the customers," said owner Ron Ridgway. "The need is there, no doubt about it." The scannable coupons offer shoppers and store owners alike a convenient way to contribute to charity, Ridgway said. Shoppers can choose bar-coded coupons in values of $1, $2 and $5 and ring them up with the rest of their purchases. The donations are tallied in the store’s computers, and managers simply send ACCESS a monthly check. In Tark’s case, that amounts to $200 or $300 a month, Ridgway said. Maintaining the program year-round boosts collections by more than $4,000 annually for each store that participates, said Scott Foster, ACCESS marketing and public relations manager. Ridgway said he’s happy to keep it going long past the holiday giving season. "ACCESS makes it easier for us to do the job," he said. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities