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Food Bank
Idaho Statesman Article - 6/11/08
St. Mary's Food Bank
Location: 2945 Chinden Blvd., Suite A
Open: Monday, Wednesday and Friday (Closed on Holidays)
Hours: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
(One visit per family per month.)
The St. Mary's Food Bank is sponsored by the church and supported by other organizations and individuals in the community. The Food Bank serves clients in areas with the following zip codes: part of 83702, all of 83703 and 83714. These zip codes cover (roughly) from North 16th Street as far south as Main and west, including Garden City.
Resources provided include donations of food (some non-food items) and work. Many individuals have "adopted" foods or other items to donate to the Food Bank on a monthly basis. The monthly food donations include the food donated by the families of children who attend St. Mary's School. The children bring their food to a designated weekly Mass.
In addition to food that is delivered to the Food Bank, some parishioners have chosen to give money to the church's Food Bank fund each month. Donation envelopes are provided for those who wish to help. The Food Bank also receives food from El Ada and donations from people who are not members of the church, but want to help those in need. The Food Bank also receives an allotment of food from the annual food drive sponsored by the students at Bishop Kelly High School. Another very important benefit for the Food Bank is the opportunity to buy food from the Idaho Foodbank.
Volunteers manage and staff the Food Bank. This team of volunteers performs nearly all the activities required to run an organization that provided food to over 12,000 people in the past year. (See detailed statistics in the sections below.)
A Volunteer receptionist on each shift welcomes clients and records their visit. Food is distributed according to family size. In addition to food, children’s books are provided monthly by St. Vincent de Paul as part of their “Book Blitz” program. The books are a much appreciated item available at the Food Bank. Parishioners also donate miscellaneous toiletry items: soap, tooth paste, lotions, shampoo, etc. Clients are always happy to find these items when they visit.
Other volunteer activities include:
Managing volunteer staff schedules
Taking inventory of stock on hand
Ordering food
Purchasing food
Stocking shelves
Packing the food boxes and grocery sacks that are distributed to clients
Cleaning and maintenance of the facility
Building shelves and other items that are needed for day-to-day activities
Client visit data entry and reporting
Would you like to volunteer? Please call Isabell Yale
(850-6818) for more information.
Current Food Bank Statistics
Food Bank Visits - 2008
| Month | Clients | Last Year | Inc./Decr. | % |
| June | 1,035 | 1,008 | 27 | +.03% |
| May | 856 | 897 | -41 | -.04% |
| April | 1,303 | 962 | 341 | +36% |
| March | 1,414 | 863 | 551 | +64% |
| February | 1,166 | 812 | 354 | +44% |
| January | 1,255 | 1,069 | 186 | +17% |
Historical Statistics
The Food Bank staff began using an electronic database to record client visit information mid-year 2004. The earliest complete statistics available prior to 2005 were for 1989, and that figure is being used as a benchmark in the graph below.
Food Bank Visits - 1989, 2005 - 2007
If you would like to sponsor a food, please consider one of the foods or
non-food items listed
below:
Food Items Needed
Hot Dogs
Jelly
Mayonnaise
Pork & Beans
Peanut Butter
Spaghetti
Spaghetti Sauce
Syrup
Tomato Sauce
Tomatoes (canned)
Vegetable Soup
Toilet paper
Any help you can give the Food Bank is very important to the needy people the Food Bank serves. Please consider volunteering, bringing food or making a collection plate donation.