Good Works

Volunteers feed hungry at Port Townsend Food Bank

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Volunteers at the Port Townsend Food Bank are dedicated to ensuring their neighbors have enough to eat. There are more than 100 volunteers at the food bank, and not one — including the administrative staff – receives any monetary compensation for their time.

In October alone, volunteers put in more than 2,100 volunteer hours.

“Nobody makes a single cent out of all these hours,” said Shirley Moss, PTFB executive director. “It always amazes me how much time and energy so many people put in to make this happen. You just know you are doing something important. You are feeding people. It is the real basic stuff in life.”

Visitors do not have to provide proof of income to receive food, Moss said.

“We don’t ask anything about income or ask for any sort of proof,” she said. “There is no qualification. Basically, if you walk in through the door, we are going to give you food.”

PTFB, located at 1925 Blaine St., is one of four food banks organized into the Jefferson County Food Bank Association. The other three are the Brinnon, Quilcene and Tri-Area food banks.

PTFB is open for families and individuals 64 and younger from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays, and for seniors 65 and older from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

The “quick pick” section, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days.

Pamela Browning of Port Townsend has been volunteering at PTFB for the past decade. She currently is the manager of the quick pick section.

“You don’t have to wait as long to go through quick pick,” Browning said. “Instead of waiting for an hour or so, you can wait 10 to 15 minutes to get in here, and then you can get through in about 15 minutes. It is the express lane. You can come before work; you can come during your lunch hour.”

Browning said PTFB is not only for the homeless or poor.

“This is a wealthy community, it is a generous community, we have 100 volunteers, so we are able to provide a lot of high-quality food,” she said. “If coming to the food bank makes the ends of your budget meet better, you should come. We have a lot of food; it is good, quality food; we are well-funded. You don’t need to be underprivileged to come. If it makes your budget work, come.”

For more information, visit http://jeffersoncountyfoodbanks.org/port-townsend.html.

Heaping helpings of food

In October, PTFB distributed 47,876 pounds of food and served 1,570 households with 3,251 clients, Moss said. That is up from last October, when 45,405 pounds of food was distributed to 1,323 households with 2,864 clients.

Last month, PTFB received 28,509 pounds of privately donated food and purchased another 19,367 pounds for 3 cents a pound from Food Lifeline, a nonprofit organization based in Seattle that repackages and delivers food to about 300 different organizations in western Washington each week.

“A dollar (purchases) 33 1/3 pounds of food, which is amazing,” Moss said, adding the purchase price includes delivery fees.

Coming together to help those in need

John Wrobleski of Port Townsend has been volunteering at PTFB for the past five years.

“I just really enjoy the camaraderie of other people, and I love supporting the community,” he said. “It is very gratifying, and we are just very happy our community is so supportive. We get an awful lot of donations from local agencies and from the stores and some of the restaurants. It is just a really worthy endeavor.”

Browning said volunteering makes him feel like his life has more value.

“It is a way for me to contribute to my community and to have a great time,” he said. “We are like a family. It is a wonderful group of people, and we have a lot of fun. And, we get to know our clients.”

Sonja Mathews, a volunteer since February, said getting to know the clients is one of the best parts of the service.

“I think my favorite was when I got to know everybody’s stories,” she said. “When I got to know them better, I realized that every day counts, and what we do for each other really matters.”

Everybody is “one bad life event away from food insecurity,” Mathews continued. “It can happen really fast, and I want to be a part of helping people who are food insecure.”

Helping people provide for themselves and their families is a reward unto itself, Mathews said.

“I think it is that spark when they realize they have found something that they wanted that feeds their family, that helps them be a successful provider,” she said. “I think it is the happiness when they see the volunteers and they know them. Many of our volunteers have been here for years, and so, when they come, it is like seeing family.”

There are many regulars, Mathews said.

Herb Tracy, who has volunteered for the past couple years, said serving at PTFB helps put life into perspective.

“By volunteering here, by coming in here, you see how well off you actually are,” he said. “You get to appreciate your health and your wellbeing and the people around you. And, when people come through here, there is a smile on their faces as they come through. That is the other side. It certainly makes it worthwhile.”

Alex Vail of Port Townsend has volunteered for the past year. After volunteering for a time, he became a client. Volunteering helps pay that forward.

“This is my community, and going to the food bank is like going to church,” he said. “The people here make it worthwhile, and I get my food from the food bank.”