Reasons to respond: Food bank volunteers explain why they help

By Kristine Thomas

By listening, they learn.

By learning, they understand.

By understanding, they can share with community members what a valuable resource Silverton Area Community Aid is to the community and the people it serves.

Sue Rivers is one of the many SACA volunteers who has been asked why there is a need for a food bank.

The reasons are as different as each client who walks through the door to ask for assistance, she said.

Clients range from young couples with small children to senior citizens. The reasons vary from being unemployed to suffering a health crisis that cripples them financially.

She encourages community members who are unfamiliar with what SACA does to visit.

“I think if people came here, they will see there is a need in our community to provide people with food,” Rivers said. “The need has so many perimeters. If people spent a day here, they would gain the passion and the understanding of why people volunteer here and donate to SACA.”

The clients who visit SACA are their neighbors, friends, church members, children’s classmates, Rivers said.

“I would encourage people to put themselves in the shoes of the people who are struggling to make ends meet and then they would understand why the food bank is an important part of the community,” she said.

Each October, SACA holds an annual food drive. If it weren’t for the generous support of the community members, churches, businesses, schools and civic groups, SACA volunteers would be unable to provide emergency food to the individuals and families in the need.

From Oct. 15 to Oct. 17, volunteers will deliver empty paper sacks to Silverton residents’ doorsteps.

Donations – whether it’s a few cans or a bag full – should be placed on the doorsteps by 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19 for pickup. If you are out of town for the weekend or live outside Silverton city limits, donations can be dropped off at one of the many food barrels throughout town – including Roth’s and Safeway – or at SACA, 421 South Water St.

Patty, who asked her last name not be used, volunteers once a week at the food bank. One misconception she has heard is people who come to SACA don’t have jobs.

“People who are making minimum wage don’t make enough to pay for basic expenses like food, gas and rent,” she said.

“The food bank helps people who are struggling to make ends meet to put food on their table. What some people don’t realize is everyone at some point in their life might need a little help. That’s why we are here. To help people in their time of need and to let them know they are part of a community that cares and they are not alone in the world.”

Nancy Crane has volunteered at the food bank for four years. She has noticed more senior citizens visiting the food bank.

Senior citizens who are on fixed incomes receive on average $16 a month in food stamps. Being on a fixed income, many senior citizens can’t make it to the end of the month without some assistance, she said.

“If they didn’t come here, they wouldn’t have food on their table,” she said.

She encourages community leaders to look for ways to bring more jobs to Silverton and nearby towns. People want to work, she said, but some can’t find a job.

As Lesley Marshall stapled food drive flyers to grocery sacks, she explained how she once was a client of SACA. She is now a board member.

“I was a single mom, unemployed and my bank account was wiped out by identity theft,” she said.

Asking for help wasn’t easy for her, she explained, adding many clients feel embarrassed or ashamed.

“I think what the volunteers try to do is let people know that we are here for them and that they aren’t the only ones going through hard times,” she said. “I don’t know what I would have done if SACA wasn’t here to help me.

A SACA volunteer since 2005, Anne Henderson worries when she sees shelves that are empty or nearly empty. As she filled up a grocery cart in the stock room to take to the pantry, she noticed the low supply of chili, canned fruit, pasta sauces, tuna fish and cereal along with other items.

“What’s amazing about our community, is they always come through to help us out,” Henderson said. “They always have and always do.”

A quiet and caring woman, she is known for welcoming clients with hugs and smiles and sharing ideas on how to prepare the food.

“There are a lot of people who need the help,” she said. “If SACA weren’t here, I don’t know what people would do. We serve a need in the community.”

What she is extremely grateful for and humbled by is the generosity of the people, churches, schools, businesses, and civic groups who donate to the food bank.

“Because of what they do, we can put their donations back in the community,” Henderson said.