News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Donations to the Sisters Kiwanis Food Bank are down this holiday season and demand is way up.
According to food bank coordinator David Hiller, about 120 pounds of food had been delivered for the Holiday Food Basket program as of December 11. That's down from 450 pounds at the same time last year. Cash donations are off, too; $500 has been received compared to about $1,500 by this time last year.
"It's a little slow," Hiller said. "I think people are just waiting."
The holiday food sharing program brings Christmas dinners to qualified families in need. Pets are provided for through the Furry Friends Food Drive.
As the food bank gathers food for the holidays, the need for day-to-day provisioning has jumped dramatically.
According to Hiller, the food bank recorded a 16 percent increase in people using the food bank in the January-June period compared to last year; there's 22 percent increase in the rate of usage in the June-December period.
Last month, the busiest ever at the food bank, volunteers served 44 families and 127 people, distributing $3,180 worth of food.
Hiller is at a loss to account for the increase.
"We don't really know, to be honest with you," he said.
Hiller noted that some of the 36 families that lived at The Pines and were regular clients of the food bank still live in the community. Others have left, but there has clearly been an influx of people who are just barely making it financially.
Needy people in the Sisters School District are referred to the Kiwanis Food Bank by agencies and charities including the Family Access Network, St. Vincent DePaul and the Salvation Army.
Donate food to the Kiwanis Food Bank at the corner of Main Avenue and Oak Street. Cash donations may be made to Kiwanis Food Bank, P.O. Box 1296, Sisters, OR 97759. For more information call 549-4112.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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