Food Bank Q & A

Q: When is the Food Bank open?

A: Seven days a week: Mondays through Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Q: Who uses the Food Bank?

A: People in a wide variety of life situations access the Food Bank. Some are seniors on fixed incomes... some are single parents having trouble making ends meet... some have lost employment and need short-term help while they search for work... some are homeless teens... some are on permanent disability.

Good Cheer currently helps about 300 families and individuals per month in the South Whidbey community (from south Whidbey up to and including Greenbank). More than 8,280 individuals received food through Good Cheer in 2003.

Q: How does a person access the Food Bank?

A: Just show up. The Food Bank is located in the back of Langley's Good Cheer Thrift Store on the corner of Anthes and Second Street in Langley. It is open 7 days a week.

Ring the button buzzer at the doorway to the food bank area, and one of our food bank coordinators will welcome you and ask a few simple questions such as name, proof of South Whidbey residency, number of people in household, and any dietary restrictions.

This information is confidential and used only for internal record keeping.

Good Cheer staff don't ask a lot of questions. We trust people when they say they need food.

We recently began a new system which gives clients greater choice of the type of foods they receive.

Clients now check off from a list of items that includes cereal, canned fruits and vegetables, soup, pasta, flour, beans, rice, eggs, milk, bread, lunch meat, peanut butter, jam, noodles, sauces, potatoes, oatmeal, juice, chili, meat, chicken, and fish as available. Sometimes fresh fruit and vegetables are also available.

Our staff box up all the items and provide a cart to bring to your car.

Q: Don't you also have another distribution center?

A: Yes. The first Tuesday of the month Good Cheer staff are at the Clinton Progressive Hall in Clinton between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. to distribute food.

Q: Where does the food come from?

A: Some of it comes in as a result of food drives through churches, schools, civic organizations, clubs and private businesses.

Contributions, along with proceeds from Good Cheer's two thrift stores (which provide 70 percent of the Food Bank's budget) are used to buy food through several purchasing programs open to area Food Banks. Every dollar Good Cheer spends in buying food, has the equivalent buying power of $6. Put another way, every dollar contributed to Good Cheer or raised through its thrift stores buys $6 worth of food.

Q: How often can I receive food?

A: At the present time, and in order to cover the needs of as many people as possible, we ask that people access the food bank once a month.

The food box is not designed to provide all food needs. Rather, it is designed to supplement and stretch a person's food supply. However, if your need is urgent, come and talk with us, and we'll work something out. We don't turn anyone away hungry.

Q: Do you provide recipes?

A: South Whidbey students are developing a cookbook with recipes and tips to stretch one's food budget and to work creatively with leftovers. Good Cheer is also planning several cooking-on-a-budget classes in the future as well as nutrition for seniors and food for healthy kids classes. Look for future details.

Q: How can a person help support Good Cheer?

A: We always welcome volunteers, food donations, monetary donations, and items donated to Good Cheer's Thrift Stores. We also appreciate patronage of the thrift stores.

In addition, the Food Bank welcomes donations of surplus fresh garden produce and accepts clean, cartoned and dated eggs.