SEQUIM — About 1,200 free Holiday Meal Bags were distributed for Thanksgiving by the Sequim Food Bank through deliveries and a large drive-through event at Carrie Blake Community Park.
Food bank executive director Andra Smith said they’ve experienced about a 30 percent jump in need from last year at the facility, and they’re now serving about 400 families a week through three distribution days.
The Sequim Food Bank, 144 W. Alder St., offers a drive through from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays and Fridays, and from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.
The Saturday event has increased to about 100 families each week.
Planning for Thanksgiving started in August, Smith said, with conversations starting with vendors about orders and estimating what the need will be.
“We were preparing for more (boxes) because we’re seeing such an increase here,” Smith said.
“We were planning for four months to distribute food for about four hours.”
Smith said the increase is because of “what we’re all experiencing in our homes.”
“If someone is just barely making it, those extra expenses for the holidays would be out of their budget because things are already so tight,” Smith said.
Thanksgiving boxes included a 3-pound turkey breast with gravy packet, stuffing mix, canned cranberries, canned yams, canned green beans, canned corn, canned fruit cocktail, loaf of bread, 5-pound potato bag, 1-gallon milk, 1-pound of butter, a dozen eggs and a pumpkin pie.
Turkey was offered instead of a gift card that was provided during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To ready the bags for delivery, about 30 volunteers from the Sequim Seventh-day Adventist church packed 1,200 boxes on Nov. 21.
A group of dedicated volunteers meets weekly on Thursdays to pack about 300 weekend meal bags and snacks for Sequim School District children.
Bill Needham, who had his son Ty and grandson Cameron helping out on Nov. 21, said volunteers are very dedicated.
“To be honest, I haven’t called anyone. They just show up,” he said.
“We’re so blessed to have so many people willing to come.”
Fellow volunteer Jadie Henton shared a similar sentiment.
“It’s so nice to be able to help the community,” she said.
Another Holiday Meal Bag distribution day for Christmas will be offered from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 20.
For more information, visit sequimfoodbank.org.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached by email at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com.
