Last June a group of concerned women, self-titled “the food group,” gathered together to see if there was anything more to be done about hunger on Lopez. Most of the work in response to hunger has been done by volunteers for the food bank through Grace Church, and for Lopez Fresh, through the Family Resource Center. Recently, Grace Church reported that more people are needing help from the food bank, and the shelves are often pretty bare, especially towards the end of the month. With the cut in SNAP funds (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), and rising costs of food, more people are finding the food bank shelves empty. To address this challenge, these women propose to try something new.

Starting in mid-April, customers at Lopez Village Market can purchase grocery bags pre-filled with items needed by the food bank at a value of $10. The bags are to be placed near the entrance of the market. Shoppers can choose to pick up one of these bags, finish their shopping, and pay for it as they check out. Volunteers will then get the food in those bags to the food bank, which is open 24/7 inside the Grace Church entrance.

The goal is to make it easy for those who can help, and to increase the amount of food help available for late in the month. Watch for signs with more details on this pilot program at the market soon.

If you can give a little time periodically to help with either filling the bags or delivering food from the market to the food bank, contact Becki Maxson at x2286. With a little help from our friends, we can keep our community healthy and our children fed.