Marysville Community Food Bank
Loaves & Fishes
MAY 2016
VOLUME 16, ISSUE 2
Stamping Out Hunger in Marysville
Our Mission
To provide nutritious food
to our community without
question or judgment,
to refer clients to other
resources as needed, and
to use care and compassion
in all our work.
Board of Directors
President: Mike Mulligan
Vice President: Alonna Chatburn
We thank the hardworking letter carriers,
dedicated volunteers, and the citizens of
Marysville who donated to the May 14
Letter Carriers' Food Drive. Although
donations were down by 4,000 pounds
(14% less than last year), 22,260
pounds of food was collected that will
help stock MCFB shelves. Leading the
operation were Gary Doughty at the
main post office and Dennis Johnson at
the annex. Twelve NJROTC students
were among the helpers at both sites
under the leadership of Commander
Randy Brasfield and Chief Kathy Wilde.
Phil Jubie barbecued burgers for hungry
workers at the main post office while
Commander Brasfield did the same at
the annex. Mike Mulligan drove truckloads of food from the post office to the
MCFB. Larry Donovan, Jon Alexander
and David Leslie unloaded donations at
the MCFB. Thank you to everyone who
helped 'Stamp Out Hunger' in Marysville!
Secretary: Sherry Haigh
Treasurer: Robyn Warren
Al Elliott
Dorothy Elliott
Tara Mizell
Daniel Pradera
John Snyder
Food Bank Director
Dell Deierling
Newsletter Editor: Sherry Haigh
Design: Barbara Edmondson
"Go and enjoy
choice food and
sweet drinks, and
send some to those
who have nothing
prepared. . . .
Do not grieve, for
the joy of the Lord
is your strength."
Nehemiah 8:10
Volunteers Honored at Annual MCFB Dinner
In 2015, 900 volunteers served 35,000 hours to help 13,944 families put food on the
table. Nearly 1.2 million pounds of food came into our Food Bank and went out again
with grateful clients. At Christmas, 1,154 children received gifts. Hundreds of students
received school supplies in September and 11,996 packs of weekend food went
home with hungry kids. Those were some of the statistics MCFB Director Dell
Deierling shared at the annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner, held April 28 at
Marysville United Methodist Church. The more than 100 volunteers who attended
were showered with praise from President Mike Mulligan, Donna Wright representing
the City of Marysville, and Mel Sheldon,
chairman of the Tulalip Tribes who asserted
that volunteerism is the very social fabric of our
society and makes America stand out among
nations. An excellent video about hunger in
Washington (some of which was shot at the
MCFB) was shared by student volunteer Nick
Santana, who produced it with fellow student
Hailee Summers. Earning the President’s
Volunteer Service Gold Award were seventeen
adults with 500+ hours and one teen with 100+
hours. Don Asmus (at right) earned the
Lifetime Award, having served more than
4,000 hours. Patrick Phillips was honored as
Volunteer of the Year: see page 2 for details!
PAGE 2
LOAVES & FISHES
MAY 2016
Volunteers in the Spotlight
We thank all our volunteers, whose
hard work and dedication allow us
to serve our community.
January: Lori Brannan
Lori is one of our
'ghost' volunteers
who is vitally important but rarely seen.
As a bookkeeper
with
Langabeer,
McKernan Burnett,
Lori has for the past
five years assisted Robyn Warren,
owner of the company and MCFB
treasurer, with the preparation of
financial statements and other bookkeeping tasks. Lori says Robyn’s
passion for the Food Bank is
contagious, and she has high praise
for the people here whose passion
to help those in need goes far
beyond what one would expect. Lori
enjoys crafts, camping and hiking
with her husband; she also cares for
her father-in-law. It takes a servant’s
heart to be a caregiver and that
same giving spirit to share in the
mission here at MCFB. Thanks, Lori!
February: Kathryn Westmiller
After retiring from
Boeing as a graphic
designer, Kathryn
began volunteering
here over the holidays to help those
in need. She asked
questions and was
genuinely interested in the workings
of MCFB. After the holidays, she
continued serving twice weekly as a
shopping assistant, helping and
talking with our clients. It was
through a client that she became
involved with an additional volunteer
project sewing bibs and blankets for
newborns whose mothers receive
help from the Pregnancy Center
in Everett. Kathryn also enjoys
gardening, canning, camping, and
traveling the world. Next April she’s
off to Italy! She has a son in Everett,
a daughter in Juneau, Alaska, and
five grandkids. Thank you, Kathryn!
March: James Davis
James started volunteering at MCFB
a little over a year
ago to keep busy,
but it’s the people
he serves with who
keep him coming
back. He's a very
hard worker who is willing to do
whatever is asked. Most often,
though, you’ll find him in the delivery
bay unloading donations. In his free
time, James enjoys listening to all
kinds of music (especially country),
hiking and just being outdoors. In
fact, four to five times a week, he
leaves his house at 5 a.m. to walk
several miles to the Food Bank,
arriving as early as 6:30. That’s real
dedication! Thank you, James, for
your hard work and willingness to
serve at MCFB!
April: Bonnie Ramsey
Bonnie began volunteering in 2002
with the Toy Store
team. For 11 years,
she collected toy
donations and organized the event;
she also helped
with the November All-City Food
Drive. Over the years, work schedule permitting, she has volunteered
at the Food Bank, too, and is
currently helping husband Grover
with grocery store pickups. For the
past several years, she has been the
Volunteer Appreciation Dinner event
planner extraordinaire, doing everything from the cooking to the decorating and PowerPoint presentation.
In the fall, she solicits donations of
backpacks filled with school supplies
for children in need of support. She
also is a board member and
volunteers for Eagle Wings Ministry,
which serves adults with special
needs. In addition to volunteering,
Bonnie works at Fred Meyer. She
and Grover have five children and
eight grandchildren. She enjoys
gardening, and turns that hobby into
a mission by being the secret
gardener for her neighbors in need.
Bonnie, you are amazing!
Congratulations to 2015
Volunteer of the Year
Patrick Phillips!
Patrick will soon complete a degree
in business management, and in the
meantime he keeps busy at MCFB.
For almost two years he’s put in
about 20 hours a week, volunteering
every morning we are open. In that
short time, he has already earned
the Presidential Service Gold Award
serving 920 hours — almost double
the 500 required. Patrick is our righthand man, always willing and ready
to do whatever is needed. But he's
quick to turn the tables on kudos.
Instead of accepting thanks, he
publicly thanked everyone at the
Volunteer Appreciation Dinner for all
their help. He says the Food Bank
has had a huge impact on him and
called it "a wonderful place filled with
wonderful people." You are one of
those wonderful people, Patrick!
Thank you for all you do for MCFB!
VOLUME 16, ISSUE 2
LOAVES & FISHES
WITH YOUR HELP, WE FILL THE GAP FOR MORE PEOPLE
Unemployment
in
Snohomish County in
March
was
only
5.2%.
There are
'worker wanted' signs
in local shop windows.
One might think that
the MCFB is going out
of business. Quite the contrary: the
number of families who came to us
for food assistance in April was 7%
higher than April 2015. At the same
time, we are seeing donations
decrease. At this time last year we
had received $24,000 more in
financial contributions, and last year's
Letter Carriers' Food Drive produced
4,000 more pounds of food.
Given some of the economic
indicators, one might think that
the need for helping others has
lessened. The reality is that nothing
has changed for seniors on fixed
incomes. If anything, with rising
costs, the gap between what they
have and what they need has
widened. The Food Bank is here to
help them.
Many families with
working adults find that their income
is not enough to provide for all their
basic needs. The Food Bank is here
to help them. Lately, there was a
significant change in SNAP (food
stamps) benefits for Snohomish
County adults without dependents. This has resulted in a surge of
folks needing support. The Food
Bank is here to help them.
We all wish that the Food Bank
was no longer necessary, that
everyone was able to provide for
themselves. But we aren’t there
yet.
We still need community
support. And knowing that it was
over 40 years ago that the MCFB
sprouted its roots to remedy a
'temporary' problem, it will likely be
around and growing for many years
to come.
To all of you who continue to
generously give your time and
financial support, thank you! Your
help has never been more needed
and more greatly appreciated. Thank
you for being here to help us!
Dell Deierling, Director
Volunteer Dinner Thanks!
Our Volunteer Appreciation Dinner was a huge success thanks to a host of
amazing volunteers! Event organizer Bonnie Ramsey prepared the
delicious Mexican feast. Sandy Bickler, Debbie Culley, Barb Erickson,
Given Kutz, Karen and Jim Lee, Val and Mark Poat, Peggy Smythe and
Hazel Yetter of the Senior Ministry Group from the Word of Life Lutheran
Brethren helped with food prep, setup, and cleanup with the aid of Marion
Smith, Sherry Haigh and Amy Howell, who also took photos of the event.
Bonnie did the decorating and, with the aid of Dell Deierling, put together a
slideshow of MCFB moments. Alonna Chatburn created photo collage
placemats and gift baskets. Hanging basket door prizes were donated by
Costco, and a flan dessert was donated by La Hacienda. The Day Old
Breadcrumbs (a.k.a. Chris Roth, JoAnn Sewell and John Snyder) led a
sing-along of Mexican tunes. Finally, thanks to the Marysville United
Methodist Church for the lovely facility.
President’s Volunteer Service Gold Award Winners
Ipo and Jon Alexander, Frank Aranda, Roberta Bryant, Mark Burch,
Tony Cataldo, Dorothy Elliott, Bill Floyd, Clark Haynes, David Leslie,
Lyle Martin, Billie Mooers, Terry Noteboom, Sharon Ono, Vern Ottaway,
Patrick Phillips, Jamie Phung and Terry Snodgrass.
PAGE 3
MCFB
Bulletin
Board
Many Thanks to...
The City of Marysville for
granting $15,000 to Food for
Thought for each of the next
two school years.
Fallyn Gentry for donating
$1,300 and 531 lbs. of food given
in lieu of birthday gifts to Food for
Thought and MCFB.
The Stillaguamish Tribe for
$4,500 to purchase Easter hams.
The Soroptimists International
of Marysville for a $1,500 grant.
Costco for donating flowers, and
Northshore Christian Academy
students for planting them.
Getchell High School students
for their April Food Drive bringing
in 610 lbs. of food and $455 for
Food for Thought.
Congratulations to...
Taya Ashley, Christina
Deierling, Janelle Li and
Dania Vasquez for earning
varsity letters by completing
145 hours of community service,
some of which was at MCFB.
Thankful for
Food for Thought
Excerpt from a thank-you note
from a local third-grader:
"The food really helps my family
because we barely have any food.
I love the apple juice and applesauce. Macaroni and cheese is
my favorite food in the world and
I get it in my bag every week."
Marysville Community Food Bank
4150-88th Street NE
P.O. Box 917
Marysville, WA 98270-0917
(360) 658-1054
[email protected]
www.marysvillefoodbank.org
Does someone you know need services from the Food Bank? Please encourage them to contact us. Clients
must bring proof of their Marysville address (PUD bill, phone bill, rent receipt, etc.) showing a 98259, 98270 or
98271 ZIP code. Families need to verify family members living at home with medical coupons, school report
cards or forms, etc. Families may come two times a month for full service and an additional two times a month
for bread and produce only. We are located at 4150 - 88th Street NE, right behind St. Mary's Catholic Church.
Distribution days are Tuesdays from 3 to 6 p.m., and Fridays from 9 to 11 a.m. On the last Tuesday of each
month, we are open until 6:30 p.m. Seniors age 62 and older and disabled clients are invited to come on
Mondays from 9 to 11 a.m., a day specially designated for their service.
Marysville Community Food Bank Member Churches
Berean Baptist Church
Faith Lutheran Church
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
First Baptist Church
of Marysville
Cascade Christian
Reformed Church
The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-Day Saints
The Grove Church
Holy Cross Church
Church of the Nazarene
Marysville Free
Methodist Church
Evergreen Unitarian
Universalist Fellowship
Marysville Seventh Day
Adventist Church
Marysville United
Methodist Church
Mountainside Fellowship Church
Mountain View
Presbyterian Church
Second Baptist Church
Smokey Point Chapel
St. Mary's Catholic Church
St. Phillip's Episcopal Church