Community Pride. Toppenish Roots

Stepping into the Toppenish Food Bank (Community Chest) warehouse, my eyes are immediately drawn to the considerably large stacks of food in the center of the room. Vibrantly colored cans of fruits and vegetables, next to rustling plastic bags filled with uncooked rice, beans, and oats stand beside a shopping cart containing bright green and orange-striped squashes. Inside the huge freezer and cooler I see individually wrapped turkeys, fresh produce, and dairy products. Things I do not see:  sodas, energy drinks, junk food, or anything remotely unhealthy in nature.

Cecilia Chavez, the head of the operation, leads us into a room full of clothes. The scent of freshly washed laundry hangs pleasantly in the warm air as she explains how she only distributes like-new clothes, and if she wouldn’t wear it, then she won’t give it out. Cecilia gives off a really strong impression of intense perseverance and passion for her job.
Cecilia is a proud graduate of Heritage University’s Business Administration program, and she is happy to use her education and experience to benefit the bank’s patrons, whom she calls her “clients”. The bank’s modest budget only compensates Cecilia for 20 hours each week, leaving her to volunteer the extra 10-20 hours needed to keep the bank running smoothly.  In addition to Cecilia’s efforts, the bank relies on about 25 volunteers, who report in shifts throughout the week. The bank runs 3 times a week and serves a community meal each Saturday. She estimates that they serve approximately 520 families, about 2,000 people, each week. Families of course come in all shapes and sizes, so Cecilia and her team of dedicated volunteers make sure that each individual client receives his or her own box of wholesome and healthy food items.

Cecilia has many local donors, such as Blue Sky Market and the Toppenish Safeway. She also receives donations from several Yakima Valley farmers, small local grocery markets and larger organizations, including but not limited to Northwest Harvest, Second Harvest, Federal Commodities Programs, and Washington Beef.

The patrons are from all walks of life and backgrounds. Many are farm workers and their families, explains Cecilia, which accounts for the intensified need for services when crops are dormant and farm work less abundant during the winter months.

My personal connection to this food bank is through my late grandma, Maureen Monahan, whom I regard as an upstanding figure of female empowerment and dedication of oneself to the underprivileged. My Grammy served as the director of the food bank during the mid-1970’s, when the bank was an outreach of the Disciples of Christ Church.

Jane Gargas, a volunteer at the time, recalls the original location of the food bank, a building named the Friendship House. “The food bank I started volunteering in, which was 1973, was situated in a tiny, clapboard church that only had the furnace turned on for Sunday services, so that meant there was never any heat on the days that the food bank was open”. After business became too much too handle for the church itself, a few church members decided to take over and open the services to all in the community.

The food bank provides not only food, but also clothes, food demonstrations, nutritional classes, and even free cell phones to those who qualify. This example of really going above and beyond the status quo made me fiercely proud to have Toppenish roots. Another thing that moved me was the community mural created by artist Janet Essley with the help of children from the community. The mural portrayed artistic symbols of all parts of the diverse population of Toppenish, Buena, and Zillah.

This experience made me appreciate how hard work and passion can bring people of all different races and walks of life together into a community that is progressively becoming healthier and happier through the efforts of people, like Cecilia and her volunteers, who really care about making a difference.

To make a donation to the Toppenish Food Bank (Community Chest), click here.
The food bank is located at 4 North B St., Toppenish,  WA Phone: (509) 865-5311
Hours are: Mon. & Thurs. 9:30-11:30 am, Tues. 5-6:30 pm

Molly Monahan is a sophomore at Davis High School and lives in Yakima, WA. She is the first of several Rooted Yakima Valley Youth featured writers. Youth are the future to this valley’s growth. They have a powerful voice to be recognized as to how they see and shape things in our community.