Kids stock Sultan food bank

Published 8:02 pm Sunday, July 26, 2009

SULTAN — Food banks around Snohomish County are struggling to feed more hungry people this year.

In the Sky Valley, as many as 3,000 people visit the Sultan Food Bank each month, a large percentage of the area’s population, said Kelly Clifton, a volunteer board member at the food bank.

With that kind of need, every dollar donated and every can of food helps.

That’s why volunteers were so thankful when a group of kids who didn’t even live in the area raised 250 pounds for hungry locals.

“It’s one thing to support your own community but these are people who are guests in our community,” Clifton said.

The kids were attending Camp Huston in Gold Bar recently for an annual camp held by the Bleeding Disorder Foundation of Washington for children with the disorders and their families. “Bleeding disorder” is a general term for a range of medical conditions that cause poor blood clotting and continuous bleeding.

The kids brought all the usual boxes of mac ‘n’ cheese, cans of green beans and jars of peanut butter. They also donated a few of their favorite things: a gigantic bag of Cheetos, an entire case of Snapple and cookies.

“The people at the food bank don’t usually get a bag of Oreos,” Clifton said.

Demand at the food bank spiked after the only grocery store in town temporarily shut down in May after a fire. That month, 600 more people came to the food bank.

“We think a fair number of residents don’t have a car and are bound to what they can do in town,” Clifton said.

The kids were so excited to donate the food they’d collected they could hardly sit still when it came time to donate it, she said.

“The fact they did this for us is huge,” she said.

Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com.