Food banksfill a need

On Tuesday, families in need of food can get the help they desire thanks to two food banks in Cathlamet.

What started in the home of Rick and Mary Dasher of Kelso, the Seventh Day Adventist Church now houses “The Helping Hand” in their basement.

“We started 15 years ago as ‘faith ministry’ and we wouldn’t ask for money,” Dasher said. “The Lord blessed us and we continue to get gifts.”

Recently, the group received $500 from a couple on Orcas Island who heard about the organization and wanted to help.

The food for the bank is bought through a wholesaler, he said. “We get good deals and certainly go through the food.” The Helping Hand goes through an average of 6000 pounds of food a month.

The need has increased from last year, Dasher said. At this time last year, there were 100-120 families a month. This year, the bank provides food for 150 families a month. In the last three months, people have come in that have never had to use the food bank before.

The families served are larger than they have been in the past, as many as 11 people. Brothers and sisters are moving in with their families and kids are moving back home with mom and dad, Dasher said. There has been an influx in the past months, times are worse now. “In a healthy economy, you wouldn’t see that many people.”

This time of year, The Helping Hand has Christmas presents; one per individual. For example, if a parent with three children comes in, they are able to pick one item for each child. Paul Schreiber donated a lot of items for that.

“He is very generous,” Rick Dasher said.

For most, it’s not an enjoyable experience to have to go to the food bank, but Rick said they try to make people feel comfortable. “We are a friendly group,” he said. Sometimes people will just come up to talk. “It’s all about serving the people.”

The Helping Hand is located at the Cathlamet Seventh Day Adventist Church at 3 Fern Hill Road in Cathlamet. They are open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Donations can be made through an account at The Bank of the Pacific under The Helping Hand, or they can be dropped of at the church.

The Wahkiakum Food Bank distributes food on Tuesday from its quarters in the Wahkiakum County Health and Human Services compound on the Elochoman Valley Road.

The number of customers served by the food bank has nearly tripled, said food bank secretary Esther Roche. What used to be 5-7 families a week has become nearly 20 families. With all the recent layoffs, more are expected, she said.

“Wahkiakum County is the best place in the world to live. Now that’s a fact and it has been proven over and over again,” said food bank President Jimmy Lou Cleveland. "The people here are so good and give to those in need. We put out the S.O.S., and they are right there to help us.” Even new people to the area are right there to help out.

There hasn’t been a decline in donations, Roche said.

“We just tell people we need things, and somehow they get there. Whether it's food donations, cash or help, they just do it,” she said.

Roche said they try to concentrate on nutrition, and things children like.

“When we go shopping, we always have a list of things that are good for kids,” she said.

Cleveland added a gentleman will buy Oreos and drop them off, “because the children need a treat every once in a while.”

Over the last year, there has been a surge in people needing the bank, the ladies said, but especially in the last few months. Often people don’t think about the non-food items people may need, Cleveland said. Items like shampoo, band-aids, hydrogen peroxide, and chapstick are always needed.

Donations can be made by contacting Cleveland at 795-3553, or by dropping them off at the Wahkiakum Food Bank, 42 Elochoman Valley Road behind Health and Human Services.