Holiday Needs: Can you help?
VOLUME 22, ISSUE 3
For many of us the holidays mean gathering together with family and friends to celebrate with special meals and treats and to exchange gifts. But for too many, making ends meet means no special foods and no gifts. If you'd like to bring the joy of the holidays to those who would otherwise go without, we have a few ways you can help make that happen.
The first is through financial donations. The Marysville Community Food Bank can buy holiday foods in bulk at the best prices with no sorting required, thus streamlining the process. Likewise, the Toy Store can buy gifts for community children who would otherwise have none, sometimes at reduced cost. You can donate to the MCFB on our Facebook page, on our website at marysvillefoodbank.org, or by mailing a check to MCFB, PO Box 917, Marysville, WA 98270. To donate to the Toy Store, simply designate 'Toy Store' or visit their website here.
The second way is by donating the three foods we need most: turkeys, hams and pies! Although we gladly accept all food donations, turkeys, hams and pies would be most appreciated. Perhaps you'll have the opportunity to get a free turkey or ham through a grocery store promotion or from your workplace that you will not need for your own use. If so, please consider donating it to the Food Bank. You can also place non-perishable items in our red collection barrels, located at businesses around town.
The third way you can help is by volunteering. Come join our team of hard-working, fun-loving volunteers and get in the holiday spirit! Visit the volunteer page to learn more, or call Michelle at 360-658-1054.
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MCFB Toy Store: Location, Logistics, Volunteers
We're counting on our faithful volunteers and supporters to make the holidays bright again this year for hundreds of families through the MCFB Toy Store. We are happy to be back in-person this year at The Grove Church, which has graciously agreed to host once again.
Marysville, Tulalip and Lakewood fam ilies who need assistance providing gifts for children ages newborn to 17 can register online Nov. 1–30. Visit the Toy Store webpage to register,
donate towards gifts, shop the Toy Store's Amazon registry, or to sign up to volunteer.
Interested volunteers may also email toystore@marysvillefoodbank.org or call/text 360-722-1918. Plus, you may place new, unwrapped toys in our red collection barrels, located at local businesses. Thanks for helping us make a difference this holiday season!
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Support us Through Online Donations
The very best way to donate to MCFB online is through Network for Good accessed through our website's 'Donate' page. If you've used PayPal in the past, please donate now through Network for Good. The Marysville community is truly generous. Thank you!
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Volunteers in the Spotlight
We thank all our volunteers, whose hard work and dedication allow us to serve our community. Here are our recent Volunteers of the Month!
May: Brian Rydberg
When the pandemic hit and Brian Rydberg was furloughed at work, he decided to use his newfound time to help others. Since then he's gone back to work as a route driver for National Entertainment Network, yet he's still volunteering every Saturday morning, receiving donations in the warehouse and supporting the produce sorters.
Brian loves watching sports, especially racing and football. Go Hawks! He and his wife Lenora have a dog named Roxie. Brian says helping his community and spending time with his fellow volunteers is what keeps him coming back. Thank you, Brian for your dedicated help!
June: Jan Bates, Bonnie Ramsey, Barbara Sherwood, Darlene Strotz
Our Volunteer Appreciation Picnic in June wouldn't have happened, let alone been such a
success, had it not been for the hard work of these four women.
Jan Bates' goal when she retired as Marysville school bus driver had always been to help out at the Food Bank. She fulfilled that goal a year ago, much to our delight! Since then she's volunteered every Tuesday during distribution and every Thursday to help prepare Food for Thought packs. Jan and her husband have three married daughters and three grandchildren. She enjoys gardening, kayaking, hiking, sewing, quilting, baking and working with Days for Girls International.
Bonnie Ramsey began an 18-year involvement with the Toy Store in 1995. She stays connected to the Food Bank helping as needs arise, including as a back-up driver for her husband Grover. A pregnancy and childbirth educator and childcare trainer for 35 years, she currently works as a produce clerk at Fred Meyer. Bonnie and Grover have five children and eight grandchildren. She enjoys gardening, painting, and serving kids.
When Barbara Sherwood, another retired bus driver for Marysville schools, began volunteering two years ago at the urging of her daughter, Jennifer Chapman, she was hooked! She's now a cart assistant three days a week. Barbara and her husband have three daughters and four granddaughters. She walks two miles five days a week and enjoys reading and gardening.
Darlene Strotz has been a dairy farmer, a feed store proprietor, and a firefighter and EMT with Silvana Fire Dept. #19. She was first introduced to the Food Bank when she'd pick up past-its-prime bread for her animals. When she was asked to fill in for a volunteer who was having surgery, she agreed and has never left. A perfect fit for MCFB, Darlene likes not only helping people, but visiting with them, too. She loves to bowl and during the summer she, her two sons, two daughters, three grandsons and one granddaughter-in-law all enjoy volunteering with the annual Silvana Fair.
Thank you, ladies, for your hard work, not only at the Food Bank, but also on our 2022 Volunteer Appreciation Picnic!
July: Colleen Brown
A year ago Colleen Brown decided that volunteering for MCFB would be the perfect way to get involved in her community while doing something practical that truly helps people. Since then she's been checking in clients two or three days a week, greeting them with a warm smile as they arrive. A retired oncology and palliative nurse, she has a daughter, two stepdaughters, and five grandchildren who help fill the void since her husband's death in 2020. She loves gardening (both flowers and veggies) and felting, creating animals and wall hangings. And she loves greeting our clients, who have her to thank for getting their visit off to a positive start!
August: Quinton Freeman
It all started Christmas 2018, when Quinton Freeman's family decided that, rather than buying each other gifts, they would participate in a charity of their choice. We are so lucky Quinton chose MCFB! In his free time, he enjoys listening to music and building with Legos. Quinton has a mom and five brothers and sisters. Here at the Food Bank he willingly takes on any job asked of him and is a diligent worker. Thank you, Quinton, for all your hard work. You are such a pleasure to work with!
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Your Support Goes a Long Way to Those in Need
The MCFB is heading full steam ahead to the end of the year. We have been blessed by truly inspirational volunteers and community support in serving our neighbors. Now is an especially busy time here. We always have an increase in community needs at this time of year.
For some people summer employment has ended but their holiday employment gig has yet to begin. For others it may be that getting the kiddos all ready for the school year meant they went over budget and they need a little help from the MCFB for a few months to get back on track. Inflation has been hitting everyone hard these last few months and there
seems to be no relief in sight.
The influx of governmental support for food banks during the pandemic is at an end. Many of us in hunger relief understand that it will take at least 2 to 3 years of serving elevated numbers created by the pandemic before those numbers recede to their pre-pandemic levels — and those numbers were not tiny even then.
While the MCFB has done well in managing the load and using our resources to plan for the future, we need your continued support.
Please consider supporting a family of four for a year with a $1,000 gift.
This can be spread over a year with a monthly commitment. You can set that up anytime on our donation page. Becoming a monthly supporter at any level is a huge benefit that enables us to plan and affect situations rather than simply react to them.
We will be distributing holiday 'baskets' this year with the cost of each (not counting the turkey or ham) at about $50. Please consider donating to help provide the over 1,500 baskets we anticipate giving. Another giving opportunity I hope you will consider is long-term legacy giving to support the Food Bank. Our website offers some great financial strategies to guide you in your charitable giving plans.
On behalf of the MCFB clients, volunteers, staff and board of directors let me wish you and yours a safe, happy, and joyous holiday season.
— Jim Beaudoin, Executive Director
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Please Support the Annual Marysville Police Community Coat Drive
You can help the Marysville Police Department collect new coats to donate to kids in the Marysville community. All coats will be distributed to children and teens in need through the MCFB Toy Store. You can drop off new coats at the Marysville Police Department's new location at 501 Delta Avenue. You can also shop online from home. For other
online purchases, please have them shipped to the Marysville Public Works
Building, 80 Columbia Ave., Marysville, WA 98270.
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Many Thanks To...
The following for their contributions towards the purchase of our refrigerated dock-high truck:
Boeing Employees Community Fund for a $40,000 grant
City of Marysville for a $25,000 grant
Haggen for a $30,000 grant
Soroptimist International of Marysville for a $6,000 gift
These wonderful groups and their generous hearts to serve and help our neighbors.
Girl Scout Troop 40717 for helping out Saturday morning, Oct. 8.
Grocery Outlet’s Independence from Hunger Food Drive, which brought in $4,000 and 1,567 lbs. of food.
HomeStreet Bank for a $1,000 donation.
Marysville Haggen for their Heroes Against Hunger campaign that brought in $3,750.
Marysville Sunrise Rotary and Noon Rotary Clubs for painting our building with paint and supplies they purchased, and to Cam and Jeff Bradley for the loan of scaffolding painting (see picture below).
Windermere Real Estate for $20,970 from their auction, along with 262 lbs. of food.
P.S. Check out the new color! :)
Want to download the Winter Newsletter? Click below!
Loaves and Fishes November 2022
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