Philomath Community Services will hold its second annual “Celebrating Service” fundraiser from 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6 at Cardwell Hill Cellars with organizers saying the event comes as the nonprofit faces the highest demand in its history for food and clothing assistance.
The event will feature dinner from Oregon Barbecue Company, Celtic music by Joseph Linahon, and silent and live auctions. Tickets are $45 each and can be purchased now at the organization’s website. Cardwell Hill Cellars is located at 24241 Cardwell Hill Drive.
PCS Executive Director Sharon Thornberry said the organization’s two core programs — Nancy’s Food Pantry and June’s Kids Kloset — are seeing record numbers of visits. In June, the Food Pantry logged 327 visits and the Kids Kloset logged 91 visits, the highest monthly totals in the organization’s records. On one day alone that month, the Food Pantry served 54 households and the Kids Kloset served 23 households.
“Nearly 100 more visits than any month on our records” is how Thornberry described the Food Pantry’s June numbers in a letter to supporters.
Thornberry pointed to several factors driving the increased need, including declining SNAP benefits, with some recipients expected to lose benefits entirely in the near future; rising grocery and household prices; increased demand from families with children home from school for the summer; and continued increases in housing and utility costs.
The loss of the federal Bonus Commodity program has also created a shortage of protein products for the food pantry, Thornberry said, forcing PCS to spend beyond its food-purchasing budget to keep shelves stocked.
Thornberry encourages community members to buy tickets to the fundraiser, consider increasing their donations to PCS, or check the organization’s “How to Help” flyer for other ways to support the nonprofit.
Beyond the fundraiser, PCS is asking the community to help restock Nancy’s Food Pantry with specific items currently in high demand — canned meat and fish, condiments, herbs and spices, boxed entrees, ready-to-eat soups and stews, baking mixes, jams and syrups, and personal hygiene products such as menstrual supplies, toilet paper, shampoo, soap and laundry soap. The pantry is also seeking pasta, rice, fresh produce, canned vegetables and fruit, nut butters, dried beans, and gluten-free and vegan items.
PCS asks that donors bring individual or small family-sized items rather than bulk sizes, and notes it cannot distribute perishables, home-canned foods, unlabeled food or previously opened packages. Those planning to drop off donations are asked to call ahead at 541-929-2499. Donations can be dropped off at the PCS building at 360 S. Ninth St.
Other ways to support PCS include becoming a monthly donor, giving online at philomathcommunityservices.org, organizing a food or clothing drive through a church, workplace or civic group, or volunteering — the organization says it currently needs volunteers for general operations, community outreach, June’s Kids Kloset and Nancy’s Food Pantry. Those interested in joining the PCS Board of Directors can also contact the organization.
Philomath Community Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has served western Benton County since 1991, with its earliest program dating back to 1974. The organization operates five programs providing food, garden education, clothing, daily living items and seasonal gifts to individuals and families in need housed under one roof to minimize overhead.
Nancy’s Food Pantry and June’s Kids Kloset are open Tuesdays from 4:30-7:30 p.m., Thursdays from 9 a.m.-noon, and the third Saturday of the month from 12:30-3:30 p.m. Donation hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.