Many Hands for Many Mouths
Six hands, two attached to Paul O'Rear proceed in sorting the big haul last Wednesday at F.I.S.H., aka Friends in Service Here. Originally an outreach of First United Methodist Church in Santa Rosa, the effort has grown since the early 1970's and become a collaborative venture uniting many organizations, businesses and individuals who serve over 2,000 people per month.
Longtime volunteer Tom keeps the floor clear of empty boxes which need collapsing and trekking to the recycling bin. Some stores, Target and Safeway ask for their containers back. Paul's truck came in handy this day in returning pes to be refilled.
Working solo, Paul loads perishables into one of several refrigerator-freezers in "the bay" area soon to be buzzing while these foods are included in distribution.
On the left, bulk boxed potatoes await bagging in the assembly line to the right. Behind those bags is the staples inventory, cereal, soup, rice, beans, pasta and occasional tuna and peanut butter. Without the many volunteer hands to sort and assemble, food would go unconsumed, placing thousands of our Sonoma County hungry insecure of nutrition and less assured that they are cared about. Four to five volunteers serve to 100 plus Monday-Friday. Most shifts are 2-3 hours. It goes quickly and is a great source of gratitude. Contact Paul O'Rear.
