Shelter food pantry makes changes

To better assist those in Sisters Country struggling with food insecurity, the food pantry, previously run by Wellhouse Church and since January 1 operated by Sisters Cold Weather Shelter (SCWS), will change its schedule from Thursdays to Mondays starting Monday, February 3.

Both the pantry and the Kiwanis Food Bank operated on the same day for years. By switching to Monday, volunteers hope to offer needy users more nutrition balance, and convenience in scheduling food pick-up.

Kiwanis distributes primarily canned and staple items, food products mostly packaged, including meat and dairy, but no produce. The pantry offers a variety of fresh foods as well as kitchen staples. Together they help provide a well-rounded diet for a hundred or more area individuals and families, many homeless.

The hours of the pantry at 222 N. Trinity Way, will change from a 3 p.m. start to a 9 a.m. opening, running until 1 p.m.

Cold Weather Shelter Rebranding

Along with the change in the food pantry, SCWS will soon be known as CORE — Community Outreach Emergency.

Sharlene Weed has exited the agency and it is once again under the day-to-day leadership of Luis Blanchard. A new logo and website will be up shortly, and the range of services will expand.

“We’ll have two showers and a laundry,” Blanchard said as The Nugget toured the facility on Trinity Way, known until January as Wellhouse Market. The building houses a large walk-in refrigerator and freezer.

It was Friday, and Blanchard and his team were readying for the first night of the shelter being open this winter as temperatures were hitting the threshold of dropping below 20 degrees. Harsh cold continued through the weekend.

CORE also has a clothing closet with donated garments, mostly outerwear some of it new and all of it in excellent condition.

Blanchard heaped praise on local grocers Oliver Lemon’s and Ray’s Food Place for their donations to the pantry. Several other food shops in Sisters contribute baked goods and other food stuffs to the operation.

In total there are six food assistance programs in Sisters. Apart from Kiwanis and CORE, Council on Aging serves seniors with a Meals on Wheels program. Family Kitchen serves meals on Tuesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. at Sisters Community Church, which is also home for a sit-down lunch for seniors on Tuesdays between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and Thursday Grab and Go lunch between 12:30 and 1 p.m.

NeighborImpact, a regional provider, runs the Sisters Mobile Pantry the fourth Tuesday of each month from 3 to 4 p.m.

According to Feeding America! one in eight persons in Oregon face hunger; one in six children. 28.2 percent of Oregon households are receiving food assistance from federal programs.

In Deschutes County for 2023, 9.8 percent of the overall population is food insecure, and 13.4 percent of children, according to county reporting.