Othello Food Bank sees increase in clients

Volunteers tend the Othello Food Bank garden plots in the Othello Community Garden. Each year, the food bank has plots that it uses to feed the community.
Courtesy photo/Othello Food Bank

by RACHAL PINKERTON
Staff Writer | May 5, 2020 9:06 PM

OTHELLO — Like other food banks, the Othello Food Bank has seen an increase in families coming to get food, thanks to the closures ordered by the state to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. But unlike other food banks, the Othello Food Bank is not feeling a pinch from the increase in clients.

“We’ve been pretty busy,” said Sharon Mobley, manager of the Othello Food Bank. “There are some clients who haven’t been here in two or three years that are now coming.”

With the social distancing measures mandated, the Othello Food Bank is packaging boxes of food instead letting clients pick out what they want.

“We can’t let them in the building,” Mobley said. “We’re social distancing outside. Everything is marked.”

The boxes that clients receive are approximately 35 to 40 pounds. They contain a wide variety of food, including fresh fruits and vegetables, canned goods, meat, juice and dried or refried beans. Sometimes bread and milk are also included.

The Othello Food Bank gets food twice a week from Second Harvest and participates in grocery recovering through Walmart. From that, it can get items that are slightly dented, need to be moved or are missing items, such as an egg.

Recently, the food bank has partnered with Country Morning Farms, in Warden. The farm is donating milk. The food bank also gets food once a week from Moses Lake and sometimes from Snyder’s bread.

“We truly have plenty of food to feed our clients,” Mobley said. “We are so blessed.”

To help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Othello Food Bank is not accepting donations of canned goods from food drives or from what people have at home. Instead, Mobley is asking that those wishing to donate send monetary donations to P.O. Box 152, Othello, WA 99344. Checks can be made out to the Othello Food Bank.

The food bank is also accepting donations in the form of Walmart gift cards.

“Then I can pick out what I need,” Mobley said.

Mobley said that anyone wishing to donate a gift card can drop it off at the food bank on Mondays. The Othello Food Bank can be reached via phone at 509-488-6044.

“People can call the food bank and leave a message,” Mobley said. “I will get back to them, although it might not be immediately some days.”