Jackson – Interfaith Food Bank Director Kathleen Harmon, speaking before the Board of Supervisors Tuesday, said her organization’s resources have been stretched thin due to the strains of the current economy. “We’re seeing between a ¼ and 1/3 increase in business this year,” said Harmon. She said the majority increase is clients who have never applied before. “That’s dramatic,” she said. She projected her organization will be serving around 1,000 families a month by December. The Food Bank is entirely community supported and depends on the generosity of citizens to survive. Harmon said she is searching for ways to find more funding to meet increased demand. One of her current priorities is paving the deteriorating parking lot at the food bank. She said she typically arrives in the morning to find a line of people waiting for aid. She said she realized too late that she could apply for Federal Community Development Block Grants to fund capitol improvements and she “cannot in good conscience take money people have donated in prudent reserve for parking lot improvements.” Her second priority is finding more freezer space to accommodate food donations. She said Swingle Meat Company in Jackson is temporarily storing beef donated from the livestock auction at the fair. Supervisor Louis Boitano suggested the old Safeway building in Jackson as a possible storage space for extra donations. “If dreams could become reality, (the old Safeway) could be used as a combination homeless shelter, safe place…and food bank,” said Harmon. She said the food bank is “actively seeking fresh produce”, much of which currently comes from Sacramento. The food bank received over 20,000 pounds of fresh homegrown produce last year. Supervisor Richard Forster suggested declaring a county-wide food bank day, although no action was taken. On the bright side, Harmon said the EFAP program formerly managed by the Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency is now through her organization, bringing an additional $40,000 in administrative funding to Amador County that has resulted in two jobs. Harmon was most impressed with the show of support from the community, saying: “I’m astonished by what Amador County can do for its neighbors.” Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.