Helping Hand food bank working hard to help

To The Eagle:

Thank you to the community and Mary Dasher.

As one of the volunteers who are blessed with the opportunity to offer service to the community by working at Helping Hand, I want to explain what we do.

Rick Dasher and his wife Mary started Helping Hand over 15 years ago, as a personal ministry. It was housed in the Adventist church for most of that time. Much of the food that was provided came from other private ministries and individuals throughout the area and within the state.

Now we are temporarily housed in the the old River Rat Tap Tavern building, while waiting for a permanent location to be found. We are open from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. every Tuesday.

We are not a government dole, but we do provide the Community Action Program from Longview a place to distribute government commodities on the second Tuesday of each month. Customers of Helping Hand are free to receive these foodstuffs or not.

During the abundant summer months I want to ask everyone who has extra produce and fruit to remember their neighbors and Helping Hand.

Joy Ferguson is personally preparing bath bundles for people who are experiencing hard times and changes in living circumstances. She would really appreciate donations of towels and personal care products for her project.

Most of us are from families who survived the hard times of the past and we know that it was because of the help given and received within our local communities.

All county residents who met the guidelines for poverty level are eligible for food assistance and the number of people we serve determines the quantity we receive to donate. Feel free to stop by to visit, work, donate and/or shop.

Thanks again from the workers at Helping Hand to Mary Dasher for doing all she can to keep the doors open and to our community for the interest you have in your neighbors.

Bonnie J. Zerkel, Joy Ferguson, Bernice Wolcott, Sherry Stewart, Gary and Flo Schneider, and Bjarne Rostad

Helping Hand