HOOD RIVER — After two years of parking lot pickups, FISH Food Bank is readying for the full reopening of in-person self-shopping on June 1.
“FISH Food Bank has been planning for a year how to reopen safely and return to our previous self-shopping model for our clients,” said FISH Board Chair Marianne Durkan. “We have learned much new information from our food insecure neighbors and have made changes to ease our clients’ way.”
Since April 1, FISH — “Friendly, Instant, Sympathetic Help” — has been running a hybrid system that includes allowing two families inside the store area at a time, with masks required for both clients and volunteers. Clients have also had the option of remaining in their vehicles and have a volunteer shop for them, as has been the norm since the beginning of the pandemic.
“We will continue to offer car shopping for those with mobility issues, health concerns or those with young children,” Durkan said.
FISH has also added a morning shift on Wednesdays for those who are unable to come during regular hours in the afternoon or for seniors who wish to avoid crowds. (See sidebar, below, for more information.)
Soaring food and gas prices have increased the number of clients FISH serves — on average, about 400 families per month. Costs have grown for the food bank as well; more money is needed now for purchasing meat, fresh produce, milk, cheese, eggs and butter, Durkan said.
“Thanks to community generosity and support of Columbia Gorge Food Bank/ Oregon Food Bank, we have not seen food shortages,” she said.
There has also been increasing numbers of unhoused individuals seeking food assistance. “Their specific needs often involve lack of refrigeration, electricity and water,” she said. “We have increased our supply of nonperishable, single serve food items and unhoused clients are encouraged to come as frequently as needed.”
Durkan added that the food bank is making every effort to obtain more culturally appropriate food items for unhoused persons.
FISH has also made it easier for those seeking food assistance to receive it at the main site, located at 1130 Tucker Road. The board recognizes that there are many reasons persons from other communities come to FISH rather than food pantries closer to where they live, Durkan said.
“This may be due to working in Hood River or moving from Hood River due to high housing costs but feeling more comfortable at FISH,” Durkan said. “We have made it easier for food insecure folks to obtain assistance regardless of address.”
FISH does not require identification to obtain food. Registration includes several questions that are part of the confidential Oregon Food Bank database, but all are optional with the exception of name and number of adults and children receiving food; that information is not shared and clients can request to stay anonymous, Durkan said.
Volunteers are the backbone of the organization and, under the direction of staff members Marianne Brevard and Billie Stevens, enable FISH to utilize donated monies to purchase high quality, nutritious food.
“FISH is indebted to Rotary Club of Hood River as well as our morning group of volunteers who pick up food from grocery stores, stock shelves, prepare bags and provide cleaning, and our dedicated churches that have provided volunteers on a regular basis,” Durkan said.
Rotary, under the direction of Paul Crowley, has been providing volunteers for food distribution three times a week since March 2020, and will transition to once a week June 1.
“FISH cannot thank enough all the volunteers who have provided thousands of hours of service in the past two years,” Durkan said. “These volunteers have shown up under uncertain conditions. Until January 2021, there were no vaccines. We have now undergone delta and omicron surges, smoke from wildfires, temperatures approaching 115 degrees and snow.”
To volunteer and donate
FISH is currently seeking committed bilingual volunteers to serve during afternoon distribution on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. “We are expecting to see more agricultural workers starting this June,” Durkan said. For more information or to volunteer, call FISH at 541-386-3474.
Nonperishable food items and produce may be dropped off in the large bin adjacent to the building. Monetary donations are welcome; checks may be sent to FISH Food Bank, 1767 W. 12th St. No. 147, Hood River, OR 97031 or online via PayPal at www.fish-food-bank.com (there is a donation button at the top of the page).
FISH Food Bank locations
Hood River: 1130 Tucker Road; Monday 3-5 p.m., Wednesday 9-10 a.m. and 3-5:30 p.m. and Friday 3-5 p.m.
Parkdale: 4910 Baseline Drive; first, third and fifth Monday of the month, 4-6 p.m.
Cascade Locks: 140 S.E. WaNaPa St. (City Hall), fourth Wednesday of the month, 1:30-3:30 p.m. and the following Saturday, 11 a.m. to noon.
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