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More than 500 volunteers spent the weekend preparing 2,500 food baskets at the Thurston County Food Bank so families across South Sound could prepare and enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner.
Baskets with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, squash and green beans will be distributed today and Wednesday – 400 more than last year. Need for services is up between 14 percent and 20 percent this year, with a sluggish economy to blame, said Robert Coit, food bank executive director.
Coit has seen several trends this year at the bank: the size of households growing and the number of visits an individual or family makes to the bank increasing.
“What we are seeing is people moving back with mom and dad that may have families of their own,” Coit said.
The bank is also seeing repeat customers coming back at a higher frequency. In 2009, the average food bank users visited the bank four or five times before they got back on their feet, Coit said. Now he’s seeing upwards of 12 visits before people stop showing up.
“That’s just the state of affairs now,” he said.
More than 100 people helped prepare baskets during the Sunday morning shift at the bank, including Washington Middle School leadership teacher Toby Quinn and two of his students.
Community service is part of Quinn’s curriculum, and the food bank provides a lesson in both service and learning how nonprofits organize and function. Classmates Ellen Richardson and Elena Gonick spent the morning putting the finishing touches on food boxes. After packing boxes for families of seven or more, Richardson reflected on the effort it took to help dozens of people have a Thanksgiving meal.
“It didn’t even take that much work,” she said.
Nearby, first-time volunteers Erica Schandl and sisters Lindsey and Haley Simmonds transferred canned yams into bigger boxes so the smaller ones could be used for distribution.
“I didn’t have anything going on, so I decided to come down and help,” Schandl said.
Haley Simmonds said she has another sister who also volunteers through her job.
“We like helping people,” she said.
Other groups helping Sunday included volunteers from the Olympia High School Key Club, the Department of Enterprise Services and Black Hills High School.
Nate Hulings: 360-754-5476
nhulings@theolympian.com
www.theolympian.com/outsideoly
