ANDERSON VALLEY FOOD BANK UPDATE
As the year rolls along, we would like to share some changes we are seeing in our efforts to provide supplemental food to local folks in need.
Even with some knowledge of where the funds for our food deliveries originate, we were surprised at how large a portion starts as Federal funds. When the severe cuts to federal aid were proposed we assumed that the state could step up and cover some of the shortfall, as was done during the Covid pandemic. However, the state is having budget problems and is not able to cover the difference. Now that the cuts are in place, the pipeline of food assistance is drying up.
In short, we get two streams of aid: large amounts of produce and shelf-stable foods from USDA and smaller amounts of donations from local stores, farms, dairies and individuals. The first change we saw was the loss of most of our canned and dried staples, nearly all of which is funded by USDA. Our immediate supply partners, Mendocino Food Network, are only receiving a fraction of what had been provided to them previously. Their focus then moved to maintaining the supply of fresh produce and frozen proteins, which have had the steepest inflation rates- see eggs for example.
I cannot tell how appreciative I am of their work, in the most difficult circumstances, to continue to get us the supplies to help feed our 200+ households. We have seen more items with a cost, especially the frozen foods, but nearly all that food is provided to us at no cost. We are a volunteer organization, so have no salaries to pay, but we do have overhead - insurance, rent and the like. The long term picture is not reassuring.
So what is the way forward? After some deliberation the board decided to spend down some of our savings in the purchase of the staples that are no longer available. We don’t have the resources to back-fill the void that the loss of USDA funds created, but in the short term we can help. As we must.
We welcome donations of both food and funds. Our website has a direct link to a donation page hosted by PayPal. We can only accept food drop off on the days we have a food distribution scheduled - normally the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. Please do not leave food at the distribution site any other day. We share the Grange with a host of other worthwhile local groups and need to be considerate of all. If you are able to donate larger amounts of food, as some local farms and ranches do, please use our phone and email contacts to set up a time we can be there to receive them.
Our message to our community is simple - we must step up locally to help the less fortunate in our valley. It will take months, if not years, for the full impact of the brutal cuts in services and food assistance to show. We cannot ‘wait and see’, we must get ahead of the problem and fill the needs of our neighbors facing food insecurity.
Web: https://www.andersonvalleyfoodbank.org/
email: [email protected]
phone: 707-397-0716
AV SKATE PARK NEWS
We’ve got dirt!
Things are movin’ and shakin’ in the AV Community Park these days. The high school all-weather track project is in full swing next door, and a symbiotic agreement has been made for the AV Community Park/Skatepark development project to receive their surplus soil! Our project calls for LOTS of fill so this will save money and preserve resources.
A solid start for great things to come!
Students Talk AVSP in State Capitol
AV Service Learning Team students headed to the State Capitol in March to learn about the legislative process and meet with our representatives about the AV Skatepark Project! Thank you to Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire and Assemblymember Chris Rogers for taking the time to hear about our community’s needs and the students’ work. It means so much for young people to see that their voice matters.
Mosaic Pilot Project Installed
Thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of Mendocino, two beautiful mosaic trash and recycling receptacles were installed in the Community Park this Spring. The mosaic panels were created as a collaborative project involving AVUSD students and community volunteers, under direction of local artist, Martha Crawford. The splash of color and creativity adds so much to the park; it’s exciting to imagine that there is much more of this to come!
AVSP “Day of the Child”
The AVSP mini skatepark (new and improved DOUBLE volcano version) was in full effect at beautiful ‘Day of the Child” community event in May.
A beautiful day of AV community and Skatepark Project love!
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