Nan Nasser
Did you ever go hungry as a child? Do you remember the feeling, the inability to concentrate in school? In Mammoth, a community just 26 miles north of us, the Tri-Community Food Bank (TCFB) supplies food to 529 children each month as part of the federal food box program. These children are eligible for the government free/reduced lunch program offered in school, but when classes end on Friday there might not be enough food at home to carry them through the weekend.
Families, eligible for these food boxes regulated by federal standards, receive a box that is meant to help a family for three days. What happens for the next 27 days of the month? We don’t really know. This food bank supports families in Oracle, Mammoth and San Manuel as well as communities in Reddington Pass and north to Araviapa.
The TCFB helps 295 seniors each month as well as 358 families. In the year 2014, 11,560 people received 4,200 boxes. TCFB spends about $6,000 a month for the boxes, and at the beginning of any month you can see lines of people at the food bank ready to receive their food.
You can make a difference. On March 14 SaddleBrooke Community Outreach will conduct its annual food drive to support TCFB. You will find a flyer in your tube with recommendations. By 8:00 a.m. that morning, place your contributions in bags at the end of your driveway, and they will be transported to the distribution area at SB HOA One. All donations will be sorted, repacked and delivered to the food bank by the end of the morning. Checks and cash donations are also appreciated!
TCFB is more than a food supply place. They have a thrift store with clothing and basic household items. They provide financial support for those in need of help with rent/utility bills. And they offer a simple social environment as well as a warm room for local residents to meet and talk. The food they typically receive from SaddleBrooke will help them for about two months.
Get involved, help your neighbors, put donated food at the edge of your driveway, come to HOA One on the morning of March 14 and help sort the donations. Can’t be there? Send a check to SBCO marked TCFB to 63675 E. SaddleBrooke Blvd, Suite L. One little boy arrived at school on a Monday morning, quite hungry. He had only eaten one hot dog for the last two days. You can help children like him.