<< Previous   of   Next >> Enterprise/CHRIS GOODENOW  (click to enlarge) Edmonds Food Bank volunteer Louise Scollard (left) hands out bananas to member Carol Cerimele, of Seattle, at the Edmonds Senior Center. Also pictured in the background are volunteer Evelene Ackerman (from left), and members Elov Bodin, of Seattle, and Glenna McCaffery, of Shoreline.

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Donations needed

Peggy Amarok, administrative director of the Lynnwood Food Bank, said food banks’ greatest needs are non-perishable foods, hygiene products and monetary donations to fund overhead costs. In addition, she suggests cash donations, as banks are usually able to buy more with a dollar than the average donor. Edmonds Food Bank Director: Peggy Kennedy Phone: (425) 778-5833 Address: 828 Caspers St., Edmonds Hours: 9:30 - 11:30 a.m., Tuesday Edmonds Westgate Chapel Food Bank Director: Margaret Smith Phone: (425) 775-2776 Address: 22901 Edmonds Way, Edmonds Hours: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., Thursday Lynnwood Food Bank Director: Peg Amarok Phone: (425) 745-1635 Address: 5320 176th St. SW, Lynnwood Hours: 3 - 6 p.m., Wednesday Disabled: 2:30 p.m. Mountlake Terrace Food Bank Director: Dolores Sternola Phone: (425) 778-7227 Address: 4700 228th St. SW, Mountlake Terrace Hours: 9:30 - 11:30 a.m., Tuesday Disabled & Seniors: 9:30 - 10 a.m.

CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, News editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

Food banks see rise in use

Local agencies are seeing 15 to 20 new clients each week

By Lauren Thompson
Enterprise writer

The 2009 “Hungry in Washington” report, published Nov. 16 by Seattle-based Children’s Alliance, says the number of households who cannot guarantee that all household members will not go hungry for their next meal rose 13 percent in 2008. In households with children, the number was higher.

In Snohomish County, eight out of every 100 residents were unsure of their next meal.

A year later, Snohomish County food banks – 20 in all – see new faces and a rise in clientele as the effects of the recession continues to bear down on local families. As businesses, schools and individuals ramp up annual food drives, banks hope donations can keep up with increasing need.

“This year, we get at least 10 to 15 new clients each week. It’s very unusual,” said Dolores Sternola, executive director of the Concern for Neighbors food bank in Mountlake Terrace.

Concern for Neighbors has been averaging over 250 families so far this holiday season, up from 150 to 200 in years past, Sternola said.

Peg Amarok, administrative director of the Lynnwood Food Bank, said she has seen about a 35 percent increase in clientele recently. The Lynnwood Food Bank serves about 280 families per week, Amarok said.

“Since the economy has had such a turn down, a lot of people will come through and say, ‘It’s my first time. I’m so embarrassed,’” she said.

Area food banks offer food, hygiene products and baby supplies, such as diapers, to families and individuals who need them. The food is meant to be a supplement to what a family can already provide; the recommended amount given per week to each family is enough for about nine-12 meals, Amarok said.

There are no questions asked, she added, explaining that if someone is willing to stand in line, the banks assume they need the food.

Banks receive food by donations from a variety of sources: individuals, businesses, grocery stores, churches and others. Many donations come through community food drives, frequently held at the holidays.

“People are in a more giving spirit (at the holidays),” Amorak said.

At Concern for Neighbors, the increasing need has been felt. “We’re always asking for donations. We have had to buy (food to supplement supplies),” Sternola said. She added that donations have decreased in line with the recession.

Despite increasing need and declining donations, there is a bright side. Both banks are volunteer-run, and Amorak and Sternola report that there is no shortage of people willing to help.

Amorak is optimistic that local people can meet the needs of their neighbors. “The community has been so wonderful, always stepping up to the need,” she said. “The community couldn’t be thanked enough.”