Groups face greater need: From shelters to soup kitchens to free medical clinics, South Sound social services hope to meet rising demand

Nov 30, 2008 (The Olympian - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- HD | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Chandra Hopson and Marciale Guarneros gen tly rolled their grocery cart filled with food around the aisle lined with foodstuffs.

Two young children, Antonio and Yasminea Torres, looked on as the adults did the shopping, picking out fresh produce, dried goods and other fixings.

It's been busy at Thurston County Food Bank this fall, where donations come in by the truckload and hungry people seem to multiply at the door.

Families like that of Hopson and Guarneros are part of the trend agency executive director Robert Coit is seeing -- along with more college students and retirees who have seen their investments implode in the stock market.

"I get food stamps, but it's not quite enough," Hopson said, explaining how she supplements her food supply every month or two at the food bank. Guarneros said he is a construction worker and is having trouble finding work as a siding installer.

Asked how they would manage without free food, Hopson looked stumped. Then she said she might seek help from churches.

Thurston County Food Bank:

Looking past the holidays

But so far this fall, there is plenty of food on hand in the food bank in downtown Olympia. Thanks to donations from local farms and gardens, there have been fresh vegetables including kale and strawberries, as well as a smorgasbord of breads from bakeries.

There also were organic products such as tofu and soy milk that one vegetarian student from The Evergreen State College was putting into her cart, explaining that she can eat as healthfully from the food bank as she might by shopping at the local food co-op.

But demand at the food bank -- and others in South Sound -- is growing considerably this year, causing some banks to cut back on what clients are able to take. The Thurston County bank alone served 7,591 clients in October, up 17 percent from the same month one year ago, according to Coit's data. The number of families served was up by 9 percent.

The food bank is just one example of what some see as a coming crisis for social services in South Sound -- at everything from shelters to soup kitchens and free medical clinics.

"Right now things don't look grim in the near future because it is ... our peak giving season between now and Christmastime," Coit said. "This is when people think about food banks and hungry families and making sure folks have a Thanksgiving meal."

But looking ahead, Coit is worried -- especially about February and March when donations often dip, and again in July when the state might have to lay off more workers at the start of a new budget cycle, hitting many Thurston County communities.

Coit expects people who lose jobs might shift from paying cash for food at supermarkets to using the food bank. The bank is open to anyone who needs the service and can show local residency; no proof of income is required.

Meanwhile, the bank is not building up its reserves as it often does because demand has grown. As the economy slows, those inclined to donate could have less money available to help out when need is greater next year, Coit said.

"In some ways, a food bank is like retail; our fourth quarter makes or breaks us, " Coit said. "The money I raise over the next two or three months drives what I can do in 2009. My concern is I cannot raise the additional funds I will need to meet the increased demand in 2009. That's the reality for us."

One client, Connie Prather of Lacey, said she uses the bank because her medical disability check doesn't go far enough and "it keeps us from starving halfway through the month."

Prather, a former property management worker, pointed to the fresh prod uce and noted there were strawberries. "You never know what you're going to find," she said. "Some visits are better than others, but you always leave with more than you had to begin with."

Salvation Army:

Already borrowing

There are sad stories and tragedies. The Salvation Army gets all kinds -- whether it's in its shelter, the Community Kitchen run jointly with Catholic Com munity Services or its Thanksgiving and Christmas programs to aid poor families.

Brook Eastman, who has a disabled 10-year-old daughter, was in line earlier this month to apply for one of the agency's 900 slots for holiday assistance. This can lead to an "adoption" by a sponsoring state agency or a Christmas basket with three toys for each child and a store voucher for food.

Eastman said she left her job as an office manager in the medical billings field to care for her daughter, who was struck in the head with a bat by another youth.

"I've never, ever asked for help," she said. "It's really hard. I had to quit my job. I need a lot of help -- for my sanity, and for everything else."

Steven Beadle, director of social services for the agency, said he hopes to help 800 to 900 families at Christmas this year. But he and Major Clement Leslie, who took over management of the Olympia agency during the summer, say they are bracing for tougher times ahead and a strain on programs. These include heating and rental assistance programs and a Community Kitchen that offers free hot meals.

Leslie said financial problems last year forced him to borrow $100,000 from the agency's Seattle office just to meet pay roll through the year. Cuts and a restructuring of the agency mission could be in the cards come February, Leslie said.

But demand for help is not diminish ing. The Community Kitchen in The Sal vation Army's basement site on Fifth Avenue served 9,200 meals in October, up from 8,000 in a typical month, accordin g to Marsha Hubbard Burch, site manager for Catholic Community Services. The kitchen relies on volunteers from local churches and fraternal groups to supply much of the food and workers.

"Forty percent of our clients are families with minor children," Burch said. "We are desperate for food and milk for them. It's hard to keep up as we see the demand for meals increase."

One recent Tuesday, volunteers from Saint Michaels Catholic Church cooked e nchiladas for lunch, but the needy overran the dining hall. Food ran out after 45 minutes, and they broke out salmon casserole Burch said was leftovers.

Robin Zimmerle was eating enchiladas w ith her daughter Velvet, 12, and son Jordan, 24.

"I'm brand new at this. It's the hardest thing," Zimmerle said, explaining that she and her kids are on their own. She's trying to land a job and a place to stay.

"These are great people here, and as homeless as they are, they make you feel at home," she added.

Volunteer Kay Eisenhardt and others scooped food onto plates, just as she's done each Tuesday for six years. "It's enjoyable, and you feel like you're helping," she said.

Union Gospel Mission: Enlarging the net

This Christian-based organization is headquartered just a couple blocks away from the Intercity Transit bus depot in Olympia. Each year, it draws more people to its dining hall, dental clinic and other services, all funded by private donations.

"I just trust in God, and he provides as we need," said executive director Skip Steffen.

The organization has expanded its services during recent years. Steffen thinks the mission can continue to provide the services it has launched if donors continue giving as they have in the past.

The mission recently added a new waiting room to its medical unit, including a third chair for emergency dental care provided by volunteer professionals. It added exam rooms that CareNet Pregnancy Center workers use to check on destitute women who are pregnant. They also have a vision center offering eye exams to the poor.

Plans exist for more: a medical c linic and a small shelter for the homeless.

The mission also expanded its dining area, and one Monday morning, Leo Rendon, 52, sat with other homeless men and talked about his situation. He said he lost his job at a Home Depot distribution center, the victim of a layoff caused by the slowing economy, and he's now living in a shelter.

Down the hall, the mission's dental clinic manager Linda Barrett said tooth extractions are up. Most of the work the mission's cadre of 52 volunteer dentists does is emergency-related.

"It doesn't matter how many days we are open -- I fill the clinic with infected people," Barrett said. "I'm seeing more people who've lost their jobs in the last six months and have never had to use services like these."

On one recent day, 24-year-old Ian Azure showed up with his girlfriend, Alex, who had a toothache, and her 18- month-old daughter.

Barrett's crew decided Azure's badly swollen jaw was an even higher medical priority than Alex's, so they scheduled him for two tooth extractions early in December.

Azure, who hasn't worked for more than a month after weather ended his landscaping efforts, said he's looking for a new job in another field.

"Right now, it would be awesome to get anything," he said.

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