The Real Spice Girls of Friday Harbor
Volunteerism at the Friday Harbor Food Bank
As anyone who lives here knows, non-profit organizations are the lifeblood of the San Juan Islands. San Juan County is home to hundreds of non-profit organizations in a diverse set of industries, such as environment and conservation, arts and culture, health and human services, education, community programming, and more. Non-profit organizations and the services they provide are all made possible by the spirit of generosity and volunteerism on the islands. So many island residents choose to donate whatever resources they can – be it their time, their money, or their skills – to support the organizations that in turn work to support the island community.
At the Friday Harbor Food Bank on San Juan Island, a special group of volunteers known as ‘the Real Spice Girls’ meet weekly to lend a helping hand and give back to their community.
The Real Spice Girls
On Tuesdays from around 11 am to 2 pm, a group of volunteers gather at the Friday Harbor Food Bank to fill spice bags for food bank customers. These four ladies – Susan Mary, Andrea Rose, Erna Heckele, and Julie Evered – are the Real Spice Girls of Friday Harbor. Just like the British 90s pop girlband ‘The Spice Girls’, these women are serving up style and keeping things fun, all while contributing to their community.
Each time they meet, they assemble the necessary supplies to restock the spice bags that the Food Bank offers. Each of the ladies grabs the empty packets, a bulk container of spices, a pair of gloves and a marker for labeling, and they get to work. For 2 or 3 hours, they fill each bag full of each particular spice, then label them with the date they were packed to help Food Bank shoppers and other volunteers understand how fresh the ingredients are. The spices made available at the Food Bank are salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, curry powder, cinnamon, oregano, cumin, chili powder, and more recently, Knorr chicken bouillon powder.
Each of these ladies feels called to give their time in this way for a variety of different reasons. Erna Heckele shares that she learned of the volunteer opportunities at the Food Bank during one of the luncheons at the Mullis Center, and since then has been dedicating her time every Tuesday to filling the spice bags. Julie Evered and Susan Mary both remark that the company of the other ladies who volunteer and the opportunity to get out of the house and do something is a big reason they keep coming back. Andrea Rose enjoys the way it feels to be able to help out and give back to the community.
These four women are joined by numerous other community volunteers who give back at the Food Bank; some helping to process donations and stock the shelves, some helping customers when they are shopping, some helping to clean and maintain the facility, and so many more. Volunteers like these are so vital for keeping essential services like the Food Bank functioning and providing for San Juan County residents.
Friday Harbor Food Bank
Rachelle Radonski, Executive Director of the Friday Harbor Food Bank, says that the introduction of the spice bags to the food bank has been a huge success with patrons, “A lot of food can be bland, so having spices available allows our customers to add flavor and comfort to their meals. But it also inspires them to cook their own food with fresh and healthy ingredients, and has even led to us offering more cooking and baking ingredients like flour and oats.” The Friday Harbor Food Bank has a great selection of canned, fresh, frozen, and pantry goods available to shoppers, including fresh local produce. “We are really proud of our local produce program and encourage as many folks as we can to shop from the fresh stuff when we have it. We are really encouraging healthy eating and nutrition education with our customers. Everyone deserves access to fresh, healthy foods”, says Rachelle.
The Friday Harbor Food Bank stocks its shelves and refrigerators in separated sections, neatly organized and kept clean by volunteers. Community members who are interested in the food bank’s services can walk in during shopping hours, grab a cart and a yellow, blue, or red card to denote the household size they are shopping for. Unless you are shopping for someone else, no documentation is required to shop at the Food Bank. All the shelves are clearly marked with the limit per item for each household size, and folks can browse each section to find the ingredients for balanced meals that hit all the necessary food groups and nutrition recommendations.
Volunteering
There are always opportunities for more folks who are looking to start volunteering with the Food Bank. If you’re looking for great company and a lower physical intensity volunteering opportunity, the “Real Spice Girls” group may be perfect for you. Are you looking to lend your strength and do something a little more physically involved? Processing donations and stocking may be the right fit. Additionally, some members of the community who rely on the food bank may have physical disabilities or health restrictions that do not allow them to leave the house to shop in person, so volunteer shoppers are also always needed.
Are you short on time but still looking to help out? You can donate food or make a monetary donation with paypal or venmo via the Friday Harbor food bank website. Next time you are taking a trip to Costco, pick up an extra case of one of the items on the donation list and drop it off when you can! Every little bit helps to keep a neighbor fed.
Even something small can make a big difference. Like the Real Spice Girls of the Friday Harbor Food Bank, you too can give back to your community by donating whatever resources you can to the food bank – or any one of the other wonderful non-profits we have on the islands! If you were to ask our local non-profits to tell you what they want, what they really really want, the answer would be YOU!
Visit www.fridayharborfoodbank.weebly.com for donation information, food shopping lists, contact information, foodbank hours, and more!
