Food Bank: Sees record numbers

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Volunteers are always needed, but especially now with the increased demand for the organization’s services. And summer is on the way, which means they need more volunteers on hand to cover shifts as people take vacations.

There is even an option to be a substitute volunteer, which is less of a commitment. An ideal option for anyone looking to test out if volunteering is right for them. Or anyone just needing a lighter schedule.

Working at the food bank is a rewarding role, so it’s hard for Hough to pick a favorite moment from over the years. However, one does come to mind of an 80-year-old woman who had been coming to the food bank for years.

Hough offers a bit of context for the story: Some of the food they get for the people they serve comes from Haggen in the form of food nearing the sell-by date. It has to get off of the shelf, but it’s still perfectly safe to eat. So, they donate it to the food bank.

On this particular day, one item nearing the sell-by date that the store passed on to the food bank was a piece of wagyu beef.

“I happened to be packing her shopping list that day, and I brought it out to her. She was looking through the produce and I said, ‘You better get something to go with some fancy steak.’ She laughed, and I said, ‘No, really there’s a fancy steak.’ And I showed it to her and she burst into tears,” Hough said. “It was great just to be able to really make a special moment in her life.”

Andrew Babson is Hough’s fellow co-director at the food bank and has similar sentiments to say about how rewarding the work is, and also his concern over the recent surge in the number of people they serve.

Babson shared that when he started at the Ferndale Food Bank about a year ago, they were serving about 35 families per distribution, and there would be about three distributions per week. Now, the numbers have nearly tripled as they average about 70 families per distribution. Another sign of increased demand after the drop in funds families are receiving.

“Luckily we have such a supportive community,” Babson said. “We’re seeing support all across the board from so many different groups and organizations. And it just means the world to me because it makes the work we do so much easier when we know we have the support we do.”

Hough has announced she intends to retire from her role with the food bank soon, and her co-director Babson has only kind things to say about his colleague.

“It has been just an amazing honor and a privilege to be able to work with her. I’m sure that she’ll still be involved in some way or another even after this transition occurs. But for right now, she’s still on the team and she’s still doing amazing work with us,” Babson said. “I can speak for everybody here that we are just so thankful for everything she’s done.”

Anyone interested in volunteering or donating should visit the food bank’s website at ferndalefoodbank.org.

-- Contact Sarah McCauley at sarah@lyndentribune.com.