Another community hero: For 12 years Natalie Hanson, who took the baton from Martha Murfin, has kept Food4Kids on its feet.

Where did the summer go? Oh wait… where did the fall go? Gales and wet cold windy weather suddenly arrived on our shores while those glowing Indian Summer days faded. And now, the holidays are just around the corner. Snowbirds are heading south or have already flown the coop. It’s time to replace that furnace filter; stack another cord of wood in the shed; or stack up by the bed — or the fireplace — those books you’ve been meaning to read all year. Our seasons just keep cycling around, despite whatever crazy weather patterns climate disruption throws at us.

And, as we inch closer to the end of the year, we enter the season of giving. Thanksgiving is three short weeks away. It’s the time to think about everything we’ve been graced with — friends, health, music, and laughter — and time to remember others perhaps not so lucky.

Food4Kids

So Shelby Mooney’s text to me last week arrived just in time. “Cate: I was wondering if you would consider writing about Food4Kids, the program that sends food bags home with kids on Fridays for the weekend. The demand has gone up and food costs have gone up too. It costs $1,200 a week to serve 240 kids. And the program does not have enough money to last the school year. Would love to talk with you. Thanks.” Shelby, Thank you!

Some of you may remember that Food4kids was started by Martha Murfin in 2011. Initially it was for elementary school students only, but the need was greater than that. So it expanded to all grades and is now a 501©(3) non-profit kept sustainable by volunteers and generous donations.

Many of us at the Chinook Observer have written about it over the years. But guess what? — the number of kids hungry on the weekends has grown, not diminished. It’s not a one-time give. According to some sites there are over 700 children in Pacific County living in families below the poverty level; many suffering from “food insecurity.” (For anyone interested in a deep dive on this, see the USDA report from 2021: tinyurl.com/ywcj77d9.) I’d say that a wealthy nation unable to feed its children is a nation deeply in trouble. Fortunately we’ve got a community in Pacific County trying to address this most basic of needs. Let’s dig into the details.

I spoke last week with co-chairs Jason Bond and Bo Haldeman (Cathy Tenney and Denise Canonica also share the co-chair position). As we said, Martha created the program and when she wanted to pass the baton she called Natalie Hanson to say, ‘I’ve started a new project–it will only take 25 minutes a day once a week. Can you help?” (In August 2011, Murfin passed away and Hanson remained committed to keeping the then-fledgling program going.)

Twenty-five minutes a week? Ha! After 12 years of service, Natalie has stepped back slightly. As Jason says, “Natalie’s still here and still involved, just not as hands on. She did this for so long some of us decided to step up and help with the heavy lifting. But she’s still the face of our program in the community.”

Here’s how it works

At the beginning of each school year a letter is sent to parents telling them they have the option of receiving a bag of food for their kids to take home on the weekends. During the 2022-23 school year, 176 students were receiving food bags. This school year the number is 242. No one has the names of the families or the students — everything is anonymous.

What is obvious is that, unfortunately, the need for food bags grows every year. The program is completely funded through grants, private and business donations, and fundraisers. In 2020 it cost $18,000 to provide kids with weekend meals. In 2023 that grew to $40,000 a year. Now, as co-chair Bo says, “We’ve seen a 29% increase in students and 122% increase in the cost of food since 2020. We used to use backpacks but we stopped that during covid and now we can put all the money we get into the food.”

She continues, “A typical bag includes 10 to 13 items: milk, fruit, tuna, applesauce, cold cereal, juice, oatmeal, hot coco, granola bar, instant mac and cheese, crackers (like goldfish maybe), cup of noodles. We also address any food allergies like nuts or glucose intolerance.” Jason adds, “For the holidays we try to add an extra item or two depending on what we can get. In the past we’ve included small peanut butter containers. For Halloween, we add candy to the bags.” Funding is critical right now because, as Shelby wrote me, the program only has money to take these kids through the end of the year.

Food feeds your brain

Along with the co-chairs who keep the program running; Dick Edwards who provides pantry storage space and room for food-bag packing at the Long Beach Elks; and the 15-20 volunteers who fill those bags, they need funds. Many of our local businesses and organizations help out on the money front. But there’s one I’d like to highlight: Jared and Stephanie Vincench at V’s Deli and Market in Long Beach.

I spoke with Stephanie last week and she told me about the two cookie sale fund raisers they’ve organized. “We’ve done it two times so far during these back to school weeks. We make cookies in the deli for one whole week and 50 cents from each cookie sold goes to Food4Kids. We did this last year too. And we’ll do another cookie sale probably the first week in December because they send out a bigger bag to kids over winter break.”

“During our special cookie sale week I make three or four batches a day, all varieties including gluten-free and vegan ones so everybody has a choice. People can also call in special orders to treat their office or for a party. Last time we sold 382 cookies and rounded up our donation to $200. There was one day we sold 96 cookies. I think that was our record — that’s a lot when you think of people buying one or two cookies at a time. And that’s a lot of baking in our little kitchen! We give to other community organizations too but this one is special for us because we’ve got to take care of the little ones. Jared and I have two kids and we always know if one of them is in a bad mood they’re hungry or tired. Both our kids are at Long Beach elementary school and we want to make sure everybody has a chance to be healthy and get a good education. Food feeds your brain!” (FYI: Deli hours are Monday through Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.)

If you’d like to help fill bags, show up at the Long Beach Elks at 8 a.m. on Thursday morning. “Well actually come early,” Jason says. “Some people arrive around 7:45 and we’re pretty efficient.” If you’d like to donate, send a check to Food4Kids, PO Box 441, Long Beach WA 98631. Food4Kids needs $1,200 every single week!

Also of note:

There are two fabulous house concerts coming up in Oysterville at the home of Sydney Stevens: Sunday, Nov. 5 tap your toes to the fiddlin’ rhythms of Randal Bays, Susan Waters, and Guitarist Cliff Dye. For a taste of the fun, see: youtu.be/1p4EkMIFo7w.The second is the acclaimed singer song-writer Larry Murante, Nov. 19. Both concerts start at 4 p.m. Email Sydney for reservations at sydneyofoysterville@gmail.com. (A donation of $20 goes directly to the musicians; bring something for the potluck dinner after the music.)

And don’t forget the Veteran’s Lunch, Nov. 11 at the Ocean Beach Moose Lodge from noon to 2 p.m. Pot roast, veggies, mashed potatoes and gravy, jello salad, and homemade desserts provided by the community. Call the Moose Lodge (360-665-3999) to RSVP or to order a take-out meal.