The Good Cheer Food Bank – How it Works

Feb 062010
 
 February 6, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin 7 Responses »

The real story behind the success of the Good Cheer Food Bank are the people. People like Damien Cortez, the food bank coordinator, and the many volunteers who devote their time and energy. These are the frontline people who make this charity work. Damien is on the far left in the above photo.

I wanted to spend some time explaining the process of becoming a client of the food bank. Many of our clients have the ability of using the Food Stamp Program that is made possible through DSHS. The problem that many people find is that their benefits can be relatively small. The poverty threshold in America for a single person is $10,830 and for a family of four the number goes to $22,050.

The Opportunity Council is a great resource for a number of programs that can help you through the tough times. You can find information on programs that include food, nutrition, energy, shelter, and child care.

I have a friend who is currently unemployed and has a $1500 monthly social security benefit. He applied for Food Stamps and his benefits were only $16 a month; not much help. Living on such a tight budget presents a number of problems. What happens if you need to replace a tire or get new corrective lenses? You just put the problem off and that is not a good solution.

With that in mind, consider what the food bank can do to help. Perhaps a food supplement from the Good Cheer Food Bank might just save you a little money to ease some of your problems. Pride can always be an issue but that is just your ego talking to you. We are here to help the community and make the tough times a little easier.

Becoming a client at the food bank is very easy; we trust you when you say you need food. Good Cheer serves the community of South Whidbey; the boundary is Bakken Road just before the Greenbank store. If you live south of that area you quailty as a client.

The proof of residency can be a rental or lease agreement, a receipt of that rent or lease, a utility bill, pay check stub, a note from your landlord or any official mailing that comes to your address. Bring that and you are in!

Priya, one of our volunteers who may assist you, will take your information and set you up with an account. She will help you determine how many points you qualify for. A single person receives 70 points for the month; you receive an additional 10 points for every other family member.

You will then have an account at the food bank. You can access the food bank more than once during the month; just bear in mind that you can only use the number of points that you are allotted for the month.

A volunteer, perhaps Ula, will show you around the food bank and explain the points system and answer any questions that you may have. You will be given a shopping worksheet so that you can track the points that you have used. This information goes on file so that you will know know many points that you have left for the month after your visit.

I mention Ula since she is quite a big help to the food bank. She is a coupon cutter and her hard work allows us to get tremendous value for the money that we spend on food.

A few things that you should know:

Sometimes we have excess goods that are zero point items; you can take all that you can use.

All baby items are free (infants 2 years or younger) make sure to document this when you register.

If you bring your own shopping bags you receive an extra three points for the month.


It is pretty amazing what 70 points will provide in the way of food. You’ll find that fresh vegetables and fruits don’t cost you much in points and you can get a bag full of them; spring and summer will be nice with the fresh produce from the Good Cheer Garden. You will find that less healthy food like cookies will cost you more points. Remember the free items; for example pinto beans are healthy, provide fibre for your diet and taste good.

Good Cheer!

Sustaining and Protecting Salmon Runs

Jan 312010
 
 January 31, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin No Responses »

The The Nature Conservancy has produced a wonderful piece on restoring the Salmon runs. It is really about working together so that everybody is a winner.

There is a beauty in this species and a cultural history that goes far back in time. Salmon have provided nourishment and livelihoods for the many who work the oceans; we have been taking the species for granted.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a “Seafood Watch” guide that is a great consumer tool. We don’t want to find ourselves having to avoid Salmon like we should currently be avoiding Chilean Sea Bass.

This is about sustaining our fisheries. You may be surprised to see farmed fish (Salmon and others) on the list. The reason for avoiding these fish has to do with how they are farmed. For example, it takes 5 kilos of anchovies to produce 1 kilo of farmed salmon. This practice takes protein directly out of the mouths of poor people in distant lands that depend on this fish for nourishment.

The encouraging note that I took away from the video on Salmon was that there are people willing to get involved and trying to make a difference.  From one come many!

Any actions that we take, personally, can act as a domino effect on others.  Sometimes taking that small step is difficult; just like learning how to walk.

Here is the video from The Nature Conservancy. You’ll need to click on watch video, Salmon Country, and then overview on the subsequent page.

Good Cheer Food Bank – Capital Fund Drive Revisited

Jan 282010
 
 January 28, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin No Responses »

The new blog site is enabling us to get information to you on a more frequent basis. Some of you, who are actively involved, will be more aware of the progress and goals that we have set.

Now that Phase One is completed it is time to move on to the next phase.

September 12th was when Laura Price, the former Board President, burned the old loan papers. Now the facility and its improvements are free and clear. Phase One involved the purchase of the former Masonic Lodge and property in Bayview, plus making renovations and constructing the addition of a freezer and refrigerator wing.

The next challenge involves opening up the second floor of The Good Cheer Langley Thrift Store. The thrift stores are the main operational funding source for the food bank. The addition of an elevator to the second floor will allow us establish office spaces, meeting rooms, storage and a place to mark and price merchandise. This will allows us to renovate the main floor and  add more floor space.

The thrift stores are what make The Good Cheer Food Bank truly unique. We don’t have to rely on governmental grants/programs and general fund raising for financial stability.

Many food banks across America are seeing shortages; we are much more stable with the support
that the thrift stores provide.

Also, unlike many other food banks in the state, Good Cheer Food Bank is open at least seven hours a day, six days a week and even provides home delivery to house-bound seniors and the disabled. A search for other similar programs has not turned up a comparable self-sustaining food bank operation in terms of scale and hours of operation in western Washington.

This successful and replicable funding approach has caught the interest of other food banks in the Northwest. With the improvement of facilities, Good Cheer will offer information to other organizations interested in this model of client services and operational sustainability.

People helping people for all the right reasons; pretty wonderful!

The additional square footage could well mean an additional $25,000 a year in revenues. This money will help to fund the operational aspect of the Food Bank. The capital campaign is currently at $1,137,00; 81% towards its $1.4 million goal.

You may ask who we are serving on South Whidbey? In 2007 Good Cheer provided food to 2,780 people. In 2008, this number jumped to 4,044, and in 2009, client numbers were once again up; 5,046 people accessed supplemental food through the Food Bank at least once during the year. In December of 2009, 830 households came to the Food Bank.

Clients include the unemployed, single mothers, seniors, the chronically ill, the physically and mentally disabled, displaced homemakers, homeless teens and families, and increasingly, the working poor.

Due to the high cost of living on South Whidbey, Good Cheer assists many families where either one or both parents are employed, the working poor. According to the U.S. 2000 census, in Freeland alone, about 10% of families and 12% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 6% of those age 65 or over. Many clients only access the Food Bank for a short time while others rely on it year round.

Please help us complete the campaign. Capital Campaign donations can be mailed to Good Cheer Capital Campaign: PO Box 144, Langley, WA 98260.

Here is a link to our Donation Page.

For information about making a pledge, building naming opportunities, and gifts of stock or property, contact Kathy McLaughlin at Good Cheer at (360) 221-6454, ext. 6.

Hunger in America – South Whidbey Island Food Banks

Jan 252010
 
 January 25, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin No Responses »

Hunger in America is a sad reality that we all must understand. This series on the Good Cheer Blogspot will attempt to be your eyes and ears on hunger in America and what we are doing locally to do our part in helping the people in the community.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently released a tragic report on hunger in America. The report found that 49 million Americans; about 16% of the population lacked dependable access to adequate food last year. That was an increase of 13 million people over the previous year, when 12 percent of Americans faced what the government calls “food insecurity.” Of that number 23% were children.

You might ask what is food insecurity? When you don’t have the money you tend to eat cheaper foods which are often less nutritious. Sure there is the dollar menu at McDonalds but we all know that fast food is not good. People also tend to buy more processed foods which are higher in sodium and often filled with other chemicals.

People are turning more and more to food banks to supplement their food stamps. The hardest hit are the single parent families where one in three single mothers reported that they struggle to keep their families fed.

The people of South Whidbey can look at The Good Cheer Food Bank and Thrift Stores with a real sense of pride. The Thrift Stores are a big part of the program since they help to provide additional funds for the purchase of food for those who are in need.

The Good Cheer Garden is all about good nutrition straight from the earth.

Good Cheer has a great program for kids in their WIN Program. Whidbey Island Nourishes is sponsored by Good Cheer. This is a volunteer effort that provides free, nutritious sack lunches to people in need (especially children).

Without your support we would find it difficult to be your steward in the fight against hunger in the community.

Thank you for being there.

If you have a some time to view a short video; “Food for Thought: What is Hunger in America” is worth your time.

Just click on our thanks to you above!

Good Cheer Thrift Stores Bag Sale!!

Jan 232010
 
 January 23, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin 2 Responses »

It’s Back! Good Cheer’s Biggest, Baddest Bag Sale Of Them All!

This is a reminder, a doorbuster sale, that takes place the first Tuesday of the Month between 10:00 a.m. and 5 p.m at the Langley store and from 9:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. at the Clothing Rack in Clinton. Mark your calendar for February 2nd and pile up some real bargains!

Ever wanted a real grab bag? Here’s your chance.

Come shop the Good Cheer Thrift Stores we’ll supply the bag, normal grocery store bag, and you do the choosing, grabbing and stuffing of any clothing item under $10.

Whatever clothing you can fit into one bag, you pay only $5! Now that’s a bargain!

Questions? Call 221-6454 or email kathy@goodcheer.org.

Find a treasure at either of the two Thrift Stores; Langley or Clinton. The bag sale is for clothing only.

Why buy new when used will do… and you can help end hunger at the same time?

Thrift Store (Langley)
114 Anthes / P.O. Box 144
Langley, WA 98260

Good Cheer Two Thrift Store (Clinton)

4777 Commercial, Clinton, WA (Near Clinton Food Mart & Jim’s Hardware)
Now Open 7 days A Week! • 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Kids clothes too!

Good Cheer Two, Clinton Thrift Store, now sells clothing in an adjacent suite dubbed “Good Cheer Clothing Rack”.
The store sells gently used clothing for the entire family, everything from sleepwear to winter coats, plus shoes and accessories for $7 or less.

Proceeds help fund Good Cheer, which operates the community food bank.

While not clothing the fluffy toys are fun and make a good play thing for Fido.

Good Cheer’s Clothing Rack is open weekdays from noon to 5 p.m. and from noon. to 5 p.m. Sundays thru Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The bag sale is an exception to the normal operating hours; remember the Good Cheer Clothing Rack will be open from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on the day of the sale.

The photos are from the Langley store, I’ll make a point of getting some from the Clinton store in the future.

Good Shopping!

Sustainability and Living Green Links

Jan 222010
 
 January 22, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin Comments Off

Thrift stores help the environment; they provide an outlet for the recycling of previously owned goods.  They can also help your pocketbook!  The world is turning it’s attention to sustainability, green living and this is an interest that we should all embrace.

Every week I will bring you links to writers and blogs that address the issues of sustainability and green. The first link this week is from planet green and an  article written by Cree McCree. Cree has written a book entitled “Flea Market America.” She gives us some ideas on where and how to look for cool recycled fashion. Remember, the Good Cheer Thrift Stores are right in your backyard here for you to explore.

Treehugger has a nice piece “Beautiful Butterflies: Up Close With Nature’s Canvas.” Butterflies have been called the harbingers of climate change, in that their migration patterns have noticeably changed due to warming temperatures. You’ll find a great slideshow presentation; a good learning experience for you and your children.

Blythe Copeland has an article in treehugger entitled “New York Fashion Week: 5 Green Changes That We’d Like to See.” Number 5 is where the Good Cheer Thrift Store comes into play:)

This last link is from the blogger at Whidbey Island Life. Mark Clawson wrote a piece about Sustainable Fisheries while he was in Nevada. You may ask what drove the topic; perhaps it’s because he grew up in the Pacific Northwest?

Good Cheer’s New Blog

Jan 202010
 
 January 20, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin No Responses »

Welcome to our new Good Cheer Blog! While we do have a website and a garden blog; I thought it was time to develop a blog site that highlights what we are doing at the food bank and the thrift stores. Websites tend to be rather static; it is difficult to add new content to a website.

A blog allows us to have a conversation with the community, its supporters and the volunteers that work so hard to make it all work. The use of photos to paint a picture is what makes blogging so powerful; unlike websites and newspapers. Photos can and do tell a story and I hope to bring them to you.

WhidbeyIslandLife.com, a blog here on Whidbey, posted an article on the Good Cheer Food Bank just last month and I thought I would share it with you. This is the type of writing that I intend to pursue. I love the use of photos and I think that it is important to explain how the food bank and thrift stores operate. This will be a place where I can keep you informed about events and have some fun doing it!

Expect to see changes everyday;  this is a work in progress!

Hope you enjoy the article from Mark:

This food bank on South Whidbey Island is all about good cheer. The Good Cheer Food Bank and its Thrift Stores have turned into quite a success story. Good Cheer had originally bought some property near the current location where they were going to build their new facility. Turns out the Masons were looking to sell their site and Good Cheer made the decision to buy the property and structures that now make up the facilities at the Good Cheer Food Bank.

I dropped by the food bank last week to find out a little bit more about the bank and the people that operate it. Most of the work that is done at the food bank and thrift store is done by volunteers. These special people take time out of their lives to help other people and there is no better work than people helping people.

The Good Cheer Food Bank is open six days a week to South Whidbey Residents in need of food. So, how does one access the food bank? Just show up; the staff will ask you some simple questions and you will need to have proof of South Whidbey residency. They trust people when they say they need food. This spirit of trust is reflection of the good people who work hard to make this a better community.

Clients are given a base of 70 points, plus ten extra points for every member of the household. For instance, a family of four would receive 100 points a month to spend on selection of food in the Food Bank.

Foods receive points ranging from one to fifteen for items that include cereal, canned fruits and vegetables, soup, pasta, flour, beans, rice, eggs, milk, bread, lunch meat, peanut butter, jam, noodles, sauces, potatoes, oatmeal, juice, chili, meat, chicken, and fish as available. Fresh fruit and vegetables are also available.

Good Cheer has an on-site garden that provides fresh produce to those in need. I intend to write another post on the garden in the near future. There is so much good coming out of this organization that I don’t have the space to show it all in one post.  The two photos are from the garden blog site; looks to be harvest time!

For the full article click here.