Othello Food Bank gets boost from Wal-Mart

OTHELLO — The Othello Food Bank will have the opportunity to improve its supply of protein (meats) after receiving a $1,000 grant from Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart manager Troy Young handed Othello Food Bank Manager Sharon Mobley the check last week.

Mobley noted that most food donations to the bank are low in protein and often don’t include protein. Cash donations fill in that gap.

The Othello Food Bank, located at 949 E. Main, serves about 120 families per week, Mobley said. Distributions occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“If they need to, they can come back once a week. We don’t want anyone to go hungry,” Mobley said.

Mobley has volunteered at the Food Bank for eight years. She has been the manager five years. She works for an 11-member board of directors. A retired nurse, she has a master’s degree in non-profit management.

Most of the food donations come through the Northwest Harvest and Second Harvest programs. Another source is the Food Recovery Program in which Wal-Mart and other grocers participate. It’s food in damaged containers which aren’t suited for successful marketing.

“It’s still perfectly good,” Mobley said.

Space is a problem for the Othello Food Bank, and Mobley and the board are looking toward expansion of either the main building, a storage room or both.

“There is not enough cold storage for fresh foods,” Mobley said.

According to Mobley, the Food Bank operates on a $36,000 yearly budget. The state’s Emergency Food Assistance Program provides $9,000. There are grants like the one from Wal-Mart, and some private donations go as high as $1,000.

“We have a very giving community,” Mobley said.