Letter to the Editor: Food Bank Successes are Worth Celebrating, Too
I recently dropped in for a presentation about developments at the Jefferson County Food Bank Association (JCFBA), held as the latest in a Food for Thought series of programs presented by the Quimper Grange. I am very glad that I did.
of you, I have followed developments and occasional controversies in our local food bank network with great interest, and at times, with some consternation. You see, I have a personal stake in JCFBA that goes beyond occasional feel-good donations. I volunteer with a separate nonprofit organization, Food Bank Growers of Jefferson County. While we operate separately, with separate boards and charters, we are linked by a common mission: a healthy, resilient Jefferson County. FBG is a network of gardens staffed by volunteers who work to grow food sustainably for our neighbors. Some of that produce goes into local school lunches. Some goes to the Recovery Café. Much goes onto the tables of those who shop at food banks in Port Townsend, the Tri Area, Quilcene and Brinnon.
It’s hard work, but who does not like the feeling that goes with sharing good food?
So the program by JCFBA board President Roland Faragher-Horwell and Vice-President Sonja Mathews was received by me and, it would seem, all of the other few dozen people present with a measure of relief and enthusiasm for the future.
Rather than dwelling on the JCFBA’s sometimes troubled past, the two board members made it clear that local food banks are on strong footing and in capable hands. Even as the board continues to search for an executive director, it has put into place comprehensive fiscal controls, installed meaningful sanitation improvements and centralized distribution to ensure food equity throughout its system. A new location has been found in Quilcene and a once-planned association-owned center there is back on the market.
Something Faragher-Horwell mentioned a few times during the presentation sticks with me. That is that when organizations seeking common outcomes can work together, the sum of their efforts can be multiplied in powerful and sometimes surprising ways. That philosophy is being borne out in its recent partnership with Food Bank Growers and with partner organizations throughout Jefferson County.
Please forgive me for saying so, but their talk left me with a good taste in my mouth. A thriving community can be measured by how it cares for its own. And what I learned that night at Quimper Grange only confirms what I already knew. Jefferson County is one of those rare places where we work hard to do just that.
Mark Paxton,
Port Townsend
I recently dropped in for a presentation about developments at the Jefferson County Food Bank Association (JCFBA), held as the latest in a Food for Thought series of programs presented by the Quimper Grange. I am very glad that I did.
of you, I have followed developments and occasional controversies in our local food bank network with great interest, and at times, with some consternation. You see, I have a personal stake in JCFBA that goes beyond occasional feel-good donations. I volunteer with a separate nonprofit organization, Food Bank Growers of Jefferson County. While we operate separately, with separate boards and charters, we are linked by a common mission: a healthy, resilient Jefferson County. FBG is a network of gardens staffed by volunteers who work to grow food sustainably for our neighbors. Some of that produce goes into local school lunches. Some goes to the Recovery Café. Much goes onto the tables of those who shop at food banks in Port Townsend, the Tri Area, Quilcene and Brinnon.
It’s hard work, but who does not like the feeling that goes with sharing good food?
So the program by JCFBA board President Roland Faragher-Horwell and Vice-President Sonja Mathews was received by me and, it would seem, all of the other few dozen people present with a measure of relief and enthusiasm for the future.
Rather than dwelling on the JCFBA’s sometimes troubled past, the two board members made it clear that local food banks are on strong footing and in capable hands. Even as the board continues to search for an executive director, it has put into place comprehensive fiscal controls, installed meaningful sanitation improvements and centralized distribution to ensure food equity throughout its system. A new location has been found in Quilcene and a once-planned association-owned center there is back on the market.
Something Faragher-Horwell mentioned a few times during the presentation sticks with me. That is that when organizations seeking common outcomes can work together, the sum of their efforts can be multiplied in powerful and sometimes surprising ways. That philosophy is being borne out in its recent partnership with Food Bank Growers and with partner organizations throughout Jefferson County.
Please forgive me for saying so, but their talk left me with a good taste in my mouth. A thriving community can be measured by how it cares for its own. And what I learned that night at Quimper Grange only confirms what I already knew. Jefferson County is one of those rare places where we work hard to do just that.
Mark Paxton,
Port Townsend
