St. Cloud food bank looks to the holidays

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St. Cloud food bank looks to the holidays

Around Osceola

Wednesday, 02 November 2011 00:00

By Sam Gilkey
For The News-Gazette
One of St. Cloud’s most popular grocery stores has been in operation for more than 25 years even though it is open only a few hours each week and serves a select group of customers.
The St. Cloud Community Food Bank was in several places before moving into a facility at the corner of 9th Street and Missouri Avenue about six years ago, said Pete Barber, chairman of the 12-member board of directors.
“I’ve been with the food bank since the 1980s,” Barber said recently while he supervised the unloading of a truckload of government commodity foodstuffs that would eventually go to local residents in need.
“No one who works here is paid,” he said. “I’ve volunteered here full-time for the last five years. I just saw there was a need in the community and started helping out.
“We are a registered nonprofit charity. Each year, we have seen an increase in those who need assistance. Right now, we are serving about 100 people a week. To register, we require a picture ID, two proofs that they live in the area and a signed form that says how much money they make.”
Participants have to live in that section of the county that Barber said starts at the canal between East Lake Tohopekaliga and Lake Tohopekaliga and goes east and south to Narcoossee, Harmony, Deer Park and Yeehaw Junction.
Once registered, a person can get two bags of food four times a year. The bags, among other items, contain breakfast cereal, peanut butter, jelly, canned meat and vegetables, tuna, spaghetti, rice, macaroni, fruit, beans, soup, bar soap and toilet tissue.
“In addition, we can give them margarine, eggs, hot dogs and bread,” Barber said. “It’s just a supplement to help them get by. Hopefully, it will last for a week or so.”
Looking around the storage rooms in the building that is provided by the city of St. Cloud, there are hundreds of cans of food waiting to be sacked up. Eight local churches provide volunteers on a rotating basis. The office is open only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“We buy about half of what we need from local merchants,” Barber said. “The rest comes from churches, civic groups and individuals. We never know until we pick it up what will be in the government commodity food each month. In October, we got a lot of cranberry juice. Sometimes we will run out of cereals or canned vegetables.”
As Thanksgiving approaches, the food bank is busy registering people through Nov. 11 for a $25 gift card that can be redeemed at Rife’s Market for holiday food.
The cards can be picked up at the office starting at 9 a.m. Nov. 19, and must be used at the store by Nov. 23, the day before Thanksgiving.
“Last year, we gave out 400 cards,” Barber said. “We expect to give out at least that many again this year and even more if we get money to pay for the cards.”