The Good Cheer Food Bank has been hit by a double whammy; a 48-percent drop in donations and a huge increase in the number of customers. I suppose I should mention that we have had some unanticipated expenses. A  $3000 repair bill for the food bank’s delivery truck would have bought a  lot of groceries.

The past couple of years, people have been aware of the recession and have wanted to help. Now it seems as though the recession is getting to be just a part of life, and every month we’re getting further behind. We have been adding new events like the Mother of all Talent Shows and we will continue to make adjustments to better serve the community.

This blog is a very useful tool for getting the word out to our wonderful supporters. Perhaps you can spread the word of need to your friends by emailing a link (how to create a link in an email) to this post or to the Good Cheer Blogspot.

We have had to cap the number of points large households receive, plus increase points for some food items. The point price for several items have increased, especially for certain processed foods such as Hamburger Helper. In addition, volunteers and staff are implementing ways to provide greater structure to our check-in program.

The Good Cheer garden provides some good news in the face of these price hikes. Because of the increasing bounty from Good Cheer’s garden, now in its second season, the prices on fresh fruits and vegetables are low; sometimes free. We’re trying not to raise the price on things that are good for our clients.

Part of Good Cheer’s fundraising strategy is to find ways for the thrift stores to generate more money. We will be putting collectible items, that haven’t sold in our stores, on Ebay. This is because, they are collectibles, and those who collect those types of items haven’t walked through our doors.  This will give us more exposure.

John Ball was recently hired to take on the job of  Distribution Center Associate; to help Good Cheer become more efficient in our pursuit of raising more money from the items that you are donating to us.

John has experience with E-Bay as he had an on-line book business for years. John will be responsible for  managing the new Good Cheer E-Bay account. This should increase our sales and gives us a good on-line presence.

John was recently honored by the South Whidbey Rotary Club for his more than 21 years of volunteer work at Good Cheer. Having previously owned the Mad Hatter’s Old Books store that operated in Langley, he knows the fair market value of many of the items, and if not, knows how to research how they should be priced.

He once received an 1862 Sharp Pepperbox revolver donated to Good Cheer. “I knew it was very valuable, but I wasn’t exactly sure about the dollar amount. So I researched and found a gun expert in California who sold it for us through an auction house for $900.” More recently, some U.S. Cavalry saddlebags popped up at Good Cheer and were valued at $135. John found a reference to them in a history book.

Before his bookstore, John played professional soccer, worked at the old Rainier Brewery in Seattle, fought forest fires, and tended bar at The Dog House in Langley.

We will be extending our Bayview facility donation hours Tuesdays through Fridays until 7 p.m. This should allow us to receive more donations for sale in our thrift stores as well as  making it more convenient for people to volunteer at Good Cheer after work.  To learn more about volunteering at Good Cheer click here.

It is our hope that the longer hours of operation at the Distribution Center will be a convenience for the people who donate items to Good Cheer. Many out-of-area charities are soliciting for furniture and clothing donations on South Whidbey. Good Cheer’s major funding source is from the sales proceeds from its Thrift Stores, and we rely upon our hometown area for item donations. Community donations help our community.

We are fortunate to have a marvelous team of volunteers performing vital functions – but what we need right now are monetary donations to keep our Food Bank shelves stocked.

If you can contribute, please use the remit envelope in Good Cheer’s last newsletter, contribute online by clicking here, or mail in a donation to Good Cheer, PO Box 144, Langley, WA 98260.

I wanted to share some thoughts from Rita Burns, your Good Cheer Operations Manager, who was recently quoted in an article from the South Whidbey Record.

“The economy may slowly be improving, but you wouldn’t know it by the number of people coming to the Food Bank.  Many people have finally exhausted their savings after losing jobs or experiencing a drop in business, and must now turn to Good Cheer for help in feeding their families. Some days our waiting room is quite full as only six shopping carts can fit inside the grocery area at a time.”

“What really touches my heart are the young children with their mothers. Did you know that last year Good Cheer provided supplemental food for 1,665 children on South Whidbey?”

“Thank God we live in a place where neighbors care about neighbors and believe that creating and sustaining a hunger-free community matters.”

Good Cheer!