With the collapse earlier this year of the Lake County Community Action Agency (LCCAA), Redwood Empire Food Bank Executive Director David Goodman told the board that the food bank was facing increased challenges in addressing the tremendous amount of need in Lake County.
While the group is willing to provide assistance, “We need help,” Goodman said.
Among its many services, LCCAA was a primary food resource for 21 nonprofits and faith-based organization in the county, he explained.
Goodman said that in 2009 LCCAA supplied 293,000 pounds of food and more than 400,000 pounds in 2010.
Before it shut down earlier this year, the group was on a trajectory that would have resulted in it providing 800,000 pounds for 2011, he said.
“Hunger is urgent. It's right now. It's today,” said Goodman.
Goodman said that when there is a smaller food bank at work in a community, the Redwood Empire Food Bank doesn't go into that community to do fundraising.
However, with LCCAA now not providing its service, the Redwood Empire Food Bank has started to help support address the Lake County need and has, as a result, started a fundraising effort, he said.
A recent mailing raised $700, he said. The food bank, founded in 1987, has an annual budget of $1 million, with 5,000 volunteers.
Goodman said he doesn't think having his agency fill the gap is a long-term solution for Lake County, so he was looking for assistance in the form of a local group with which the food bank could partner.
The Redwood Empire Food Bank has been serving 600 families in Lake County, Goodman said. Immediately after LCCAA closed the food bank hired Lou Denny, a former LCCAA staffer, to assist their efforts.
Hedy Montoya of the Middletown Catholic Charities office, offering perspective to the amount of need in the county, said she's worked with feeding the hungry over the last nine years.
She said that organization served 1,800 families – and more than 9,000 people – with its food programs last year.
To date the group isn't receiving some of its anticipated funding from groups like the United Way, Montoya said.
“We're really, really hurting for dollars and people are coming to us in droves,” she said.
She added, “It's just a desperate situation,” explaining how people will wait for hours in line before the Catholic Charities food distributions begin.
“The need in Lake County is obviously huge,” said Supervisor Denise Rushing.
Wes Winter, executive director of North Coast Opportunities – which he said has been designated to take on some of LCCAA's services – also weighed in.
He said the group is taking some time to get up and going. “We're investing about $5 million into Lake County right now, but that's not going into food,” Winter said.
The board suggested to Goodman on Tuesday that he contact county social services officials to continue the conversation.
Goodman said Thursday that he felt the board was very receptive to hearing what he had to say about the food bank's challenges.
Right now, the food bank is in the midst of a capital campaign to move into a larger facility in Sonoma County which, in turn, will help Lake County, which Goodman said has 24.5 percent of its population in poverty.
Goodman said the Redwood Empire Food Bank saw an 11-percent increase in the food it distributed last year. In Sonoma County alone, it increased its services from 70,000 people a month to 78,000 people a month. He didn't have separate numbers for the specific number of Lake County people served.
“The increase in need has occurred incrementally year after year since we opened our doors,” he said. “It's becoming increasingly difficult for people to make ends meet.”
He added, “This dramatic economic downturn had an exponential impact” on need.
Normally, the food bank wouldn't approach a local governing body like Goodman did on Tuesday, but without LCCAA in place, Goodman said he felt it was necessary.
“It's so critical that we actually have partners,” he said. “The Redwood Food Bank can't do it by itself.”
Visit the food bank online at www.refb.org/.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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