Busy week at the food bank

From packing 39 cent letters to picking up 2,800 extra pounds of food in a day — the U.S. Postal workers did just that on their yearly food drive.

This helped feed 473 families last month for the Whitefish North Valley Food Bank. Every week, volunteers show up to box and help carry out food — from 80-year-old "Fred," who cuts up boxes, to Dr. Michael Righetti, who comes in on his day off (fishing was no good). Father Strom stops by with his famous smile and a donation. Cookies and Ray drop off two deer, just what Jerry Quinn "needs," as he calls his crew to cut up eight more pigs.

The phones rings. The clinic in Kalispell calls and asks if we can again make up a special box for a dialysis patient. Cream of Wheat, applesauce, no oatmeal. The Blackfeet Tribe and Fish, Wildlife and Parks call to bring 700 pounds of freshly caught fish, cleaned, frozen and in ZipLoc bags.

Coffee Traders calls for Dennis and Ginger to swing by and bring in 25 pounds of coffee to be repacked (good job for our alternative students). Master Plumbing and Mark Heider Electric install a washer and dryer, donated for the meat department's use. Lots of towels and dishtowels are used.

Look in the office and you will see Pam Wingate and Ron Behrendt putting things on the computer he donated and installed. I don't believe it does what it does (still don't trust the thing either).

Mark Schmidt put up a rail and hoist to lift animals into the meat room — a must. We still share and swap with some other agencies — milk and bread for what they have extra.

The Seville Colony Hutterites keep us supplied with five cases of eggs every few weeks. And to help keep busy, the Comerfords drive 30 miles to help on Thursday, as Johnny Pacheco scratches his head and rearranges the freezers to rotate frozen items.

The sorting tables in back are busiest on Thursdays, with Judy, Miriam, Jane and Jean manning that station; 150-plus boxes need to have fruits and vegetables and be ready by noon.

I have to run out to get some extra items that haven't been donated. Thanks to you all, and especially the Jim Armstrong Family Fund, that we have some money to do this.

Jerry Johansen comes up as I'm leaving, slaps the side of the Jeep he donated years ago and asks how it's going. "Fine," I say. I put more oil in it than gas, but it's cheaper.

I leave my parking spot as Bill Baldwin, Dayle Vondal and Johnny Morin need it for their daily pickups.

Our many thanks to the numerous volunteers not mentioned here this month. And special thanks to the many people for their generous donations.

Stop by on Thursday for a cup of coffee and meet your friends. We are very thankful for your help.

We are also helping our neighbor, Columbia Falls Pantry. They are a separate entity and on their own now.

June Munski-Feenan is the executive director of the North Valley Food Bank.