Food banks outline needs as holidays approach

MOSES LAKE - One of the traditions of the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons is the food drive, gathering non-perishable foods for distribution at local food banks.

While all donations are appreciated, some foods fit winter, the holiday season and community needs better than others, according to Columbia Basin food bank directors.

"People eat heartier food in the winter than they do in summer," Peny Archer, manager at the Moses Lake Food Bank, said. "You're not going to make a big pot of beef stew for the Fourth of July, because it's hot. But this time of year that sounds pretty good."

The Moses Lake food bank could use canned stew, chili and soup, Archer said, and so could the Ephrata Food Bank, Mike Donovan, Ephrata supervisor, said. "Any kind of canned meat is always a bonus," Archer said. They're looking for canned meat and fish in Othello, director Sharon Mobley said, as well as peanut butter and other protein-heavy foods.

The Soap Lake Food Bank has limited storage, so food that's donated is distributed within a week or two, supervisor Martha Hansen said. Because of the limited storage, right now operators are focused on providing Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings, Hansen said. That includes everything from cranberry sauce and canned vegetables to gravy mix and frozen turkeys, she said.

Soap Lake Food Bank operators anticipate they will serve about 300 families for Thanksgiving, as opposed to the regular seasonal traffic of about 200 families, Hansen said. Operators have donation boxes at the Soap Lake Public Library and John's Foods, she said. "We appreciate anything that is donated," Hansen said.

The Moses Lake operators also need some birds. "Turkeys. We are getting turkey phone calls constantly. And the supply and demand don't always cooperate," Archer said. They're looking for donations of chickens in Othello, Mobley said, because those are part of the Thanksgiving distribution.

Changes to the food stamp program resulted in a small benefit cut, $36 for a family of four, Mobley said. That's made a difference to families, Archer said. People who used to visit the food bank once or twice a month are now coming in three times a month, Archer said.

Many customers at the Othello food bank have limited storage space, Mobley said, and need things like smaller packages of meat, juice and milk, stuff that can be cooked in a microwave, and snacks like granola bars. But Othello also has families, sometimes big families, so donations of food are needed for them also, she said.

There's a need for diapers and baby wipes in Soap Lake, Hansen said.

Money donations are appreciated, Mobley and Archer said, because they provide flexibility. Archer cited the example of a recent spaghetti sauce donation, saying it's good to be able to provide spaghetti to go with it.

Monetary donations can be mailed to PO Box 683 in Moses Lake, PO Box 925 in Soap Lake and PO Box 152 in Othello.